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The LaFayette city sanitation and police department spent three hours cleaning up trash from illegal dump sites on County Road 92 on Monday.

Pockets of trash have been piling up along the creek on County Road 92, both in city limits and over the county line. Trash bags, tires, children’s toys and other household debris began to flow down the creek and pool on the road’s right-of-way after last month’s storms. 

Street, Sanitation and Cemetery Superintendent George Green and Councilmember Terry  Mangram discovered the illegal dump sites last Wednesday. On Monday, Police Chief George Rampey and Green took their departments went out to clean up the illegal dump sites.

Approximately three more dump sites exist along the road outside of the city’s jurisdiction.

“The main thing is getting it cleaned up so we can figure out when it’s happening and go from there,” Mangram said.

The LaFayette Police Department is currently investigating the dump sites. Identification for at least one suspect may have been found among the debris. 

The sanitation crew hauled away one truckload amounting in about 4,000-5,000 pounds of trash, according to Green. Mangram said approximately 30 tires were among the trash collected from two of the dump sites. 

“It was a lot,” Green said. 

There were at least two creek crossings where trash bags were dumped in the water. 

The trash dumping originally came to the city council’s notice after a landowner complained that trash was coming from the city dump down a creek and depositing in their lake during the recent storms. 

Upon investigation from the Green and Mangram concluded that the trash was not originating from the city’s former dump site but was likely coming from illegal dumping along the CR 92. 

“It’s been going on awhile,” Green said.

The city council also discussed posting surveillance cameras and warning signs around the area to dissuade future dumping during last week’s work session. 

“With the county, we can do a joint effort and get some cameras out there because we can’t babysit,” Vines said during the work session.

Also, during the storms, culverts on Hospital Road and Alabama Avenue East were damaged. Green said the city is going to have to repair or replace the damaged culverts. 

The department is likely going to require help from FEMA for the project.  The street department place water barriers up on the streets.

“We patched them up,” Green said. “The roads are going to be down for a week when we repair them on each.”