LUCERNE — Relief may be in sight for the trash-laden shores of Lucerne”s Morrison Creek, long a site for illegal dumping of all manner of refuse ranging from cars to appliances to paint cans and much more.
The California Department of Fish & Game (DFG) is gearing up to pursue criminal prosecution for illegal dumping on Morrison Creek after resident Lenny Matthews brought the problem to Lake County warden Loren Freeman”s attention recently.
Warden Lynette Shimek said she and Freeman spent an entire day interviewing people after going through the rubble with gloves over the weekend.
Freeman said three people were positively identified, along with two other possible suspects.
“We”re actively pursuing leads in these cases,” said Freeman. “People are giving us lots of information, and we”re going to … hold people accountable for (this),” he added.
DFG code 5650 spells out a $25,000 fine for illegal dumping that could harm fish, plants or other wildlife. According to California Penal Code section 374.7, a violator could also be subject to up to two years of jail time and additional fines.
Freeman said he is working with Lake County Sheriff”s Office staff and is still gathering information and investigating the cases. He said he has not presented his findings to the Lake County District Attorney”s Office yet, but wants it knows that the stakes are high when it comes to illegal dumping.
“We will be increasing our patrol activity in that area,” said Freeman. “What we”ve done in other instances is set up surveillance cameras, or other monitoring systems to track people. We are going to be diligent in our efforts to catch people violating.”
Anyone who wants to report illegal dumping in progress should contact LCSO”s dispatch center at 263-2690. If the dumping has already happened, contact DFG warden Freeman at 998-9208. Freeman said a description of the person, their car, what they were wearing, what they dumped and where is helpful.
He said while most of the refuse remains, some toxic substances have been removed that included paint cans and motor oil.
County Code Enforcement Officer Voris Brumfield said she recently met with the Northshore Fire Protection District to discuss limiting access to Morrison Creek. Gating the area is “one of the prime options” being discussed, said Brumfield, with a provision to allow landowners access to their land.
She added that the owners of the “paper subdivisions” that comprise the banks of Morrison Creek and surrounding areas have been identified, and will be notified in the next two weeks of the possibility of limiting access to Morrison Creek. Brumfield noted that the landowners have not been contacted regarding cleanup.
Information about code enforcement efforts is available at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/countygovernment/communitydevelopment/codeenforcement/news.asp.
Efforts to treat and prevent illegal dumping in Lucerne is the focal point of a community meeting called by Greg Dills, watershed coordinator for the East Lake and West Lake Resource Conservation Districts (RCDs).
Scheduled for Wednesday at 6:30 in the Lucerne Senior Center, the meeting will be a call to action for residents willing to aid in the much-needed cleanup at Morrison Creek and other sites in Lucerne. Illegal dumping has plagued Morrison Creek and other similar sites for years, not only in Lucerne but all over the county, according to long-time residents.
Dist. 3 Supervisor Denise Rushing will open the meeting; Dills said he and staff will inform the community how it can form a Coordinated Resource Management and Planning (CRMP) group to address the problem locally, as several other of Lake County”s townships have done in years past.
CRMP groups in Big Valley, Lower Lake, Nice and others on the north shore bring together volunteers and “tribal, city, county, state and federal governments, their neighbors, local businesses and other service organizations to solve local problems at the local level, in a cooperative manner,” according to an RCD press release.
Dills said Lucerne”s watershed is entirely in the West Lake CRD. It is surrounded by seven other successful watershed protection groups for the sub-watersheds within the Upper Cache Creek watershed. If Lucerne decides to form a CRMP group, it will be the 10th such group in the county.
According to Dills, Nice”s CRMP group reports that dumping has dropped to a pickup load from a 30-yard dump bin since cleanups started in 1999.
The process of forming a CRMP group, he said, involves signing a non-binding memorandum of understanding. “It gives the landowner a place to sign on board the process and participate and enjoy the fruits of their labor, list their concerns, prioritize and seek an appropriate avenue for the project,” said Dills.
Matthews said in a voice indicative of relief that she was pleased at the efforts being made to address creek dumping in Lucerne. She was quick to add, “I want to see something other than a Band-Aid. The same thing will manifest and transpire again until we make some positive changes.”
Freeman said he would also attend the watershed meeting, and would provide an update on the cases he is investigating. “I”m looking forward to working with them (the CRMP group) to see if we can prevent it from happening in the future,” said Freeman.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com.
