Fifty years of garbage from families’ personal dumpsite trashes community

Charlene Sakoda
Fifty years of garbage from families’ personal dumpsite trashes community

Heavy rains in Maury County, Tennessee have moved tons of trash from an unregulated and unlicensed family dump into Culleoka residents’ property, roads,and a nearby creek, causing a major environmental mess. WKRN News 2 reports that the families of a brother and sister have been dumping their trash onto an area of their private farm for more than 50 years.

Heavy rains washed 50 years of trash into the community including a nearby creek. (WKRN)
Heavy rains washed 50 years of trash into the community including a nearby creek. (WKRN)

Maury County Sheriff’s Department (MCSD) was notified last week about the trash problem. The Columbia Daily Herald reports that Captain Jimmy Tennyson of the MCSD felt that no laws were broken in the dumping of the trash but if the families do not clean up the property within 30 days, they will be charged fines up to $5000 per day. Tennyson added that dumping garbage there was a practice passed down from generation to generation for 60 years.

The family members clear trash from their dump that spread across the community. (WKRN)
The family members clear trash from their dump that spread across the community. (WKRN)

“This is the trash and for years had apparently dumped into this gully,” said Mark Blackwood, the director of Maury County Emergency Management. “The further you get up here, reported just tons and tons of everything from kitchen garbage to old appliances.” Blackwood added, “The good news is, is that there’s no apparent health effects that can result from this.”

Culleoka, Tennessee residents up to a mile away from the families' dump found trash on their property. (WKRN)
Culleoka, Tennessee residents up to a mile away from the families' dump found trash on their property. (WKRN)

This week, family members worked to collect the mess into garbage bags. Blackwood said, “Never in my experience have I dealt with a household dumpsite that has migrated that far and now will require such an extensive clean up.” The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) is also conducting an investigation into the matter and say that it is likely the families will be cited.

Video and more info: WKRN, Columbia Daily Herald