Over 4,000 tires illegally dumped in Northeast Philadelphia park: "It definitely makes me angry"
It was a pretty unbelievable sight to behold. A man, who only identified himself by the name Magellan, says he's retired and spends a lot of time in Tacony Creek Park. He's seen plenty of illegal dump sites throughout the park.
But nothing could prepare him for the thousands upon thousands that lined the embankment near Adams Avenue.
"All the way to the top of the valley. No exaggeration. I hope somebody took pictures, all the way to the top of the valley," said Magellan.
Officials say they first discovered the massive illegal dump site just after Thanksgiving. Carlton Williams, Director of the city's Office of Clean and Green Initiatives, estimated there were over 4,000 tires dumped there at the time.
Earlier this week, a crew of sanitation workers were brought in to clear out some of those tires. But by Friday, many remained. Williams says finding out who is behind the dump can be a frustrating challenge.
"It definitely makes me angry when people disrespect our city by coming in and dumping these types of tires," said Williams.
Right now, officials believe the perps cut the lock on a gate to a nearby access road to get into the park. Williams says there were no markings on the tires, so they don't know where they came from. And with Tacony Creek Park spanning hundreds of acres in the city, it can be pretty secluded.
"Park spaces are very open so it's very difficult to monitor that much land with staff," said Williams.
Illegal dump sites are nothing new to Philadelphia and were a major target of Mayor Cherelle Parker when she took office last year. And Williams believes his office is making headway.
Williams says illegal dump sites are down 20% across the city, and the office is making more investments in cameras to catch people in the act. He also says they're holding people accountable.
"The law department in itself has caught over 50 violators," said Williams. "And they've received judgments over $3.5 million."
As for the dump site in Tacony Creek Park, Williams says a slew of city workers and volunteers plan to be out on April 5, the day of the city's Annual Philly Spring Cleanup, to remove the remaining tires.
