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WilCo officials tackling illegal dumping
Williamson County officials are tackling an illegal dumping problem.
WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas - Williamson County officials are tackling an illegal dumping problem.
The Precinct 4 Constables found a pile with lots of bathroom items like counter tops and even a sink in a corn field in thrall.
"We work so hard, you know, all year and then somebody comes and dumps trash in the field," said Nahum Patschke, a Thrall farmer.
About 900 pounds of material, dumped, and abandoned, was found in a Thrall corn field.
"I guess with more people moving to the area you see a lot more of it -dumping," said Patschke.
The Williamson County Constable for Precinct 4, Paul Leal, said they wind up with 80 to 110 cases of illegal dumping's a month.
Per year, Leal said it can cost about $250,000 to $350,000 to clean up.
"Construction debris, concrete, busted walls, floors, you name it, we see it," said Leal.
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Williamson County Precinct 4 Constable calls on people to stop illegal dumping
Constable Paul Leal has taken to social media to demand those responsible to call his office and clean up their mess.
Dumping sites draw critters, make it harder for farmers and their equipment, and even pose a fire hazard.
"If you dump on us, we’re going to hold you accountable," said Leal. "We’re going to give you an option to clean it up. If you don’t want to play our game, you don’t have to, but we’re going to put you in jail for it."
Williamson County offers a program for first time offenders.
It's a deal they said the culprit of the pile along county road 434 in Thrall took.
FOX 7 caught a group coming back to clean up. They didn't want to talk.
Reporter: "Any Regrets?"
People cleaning up: "We didn't do all this."
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Williamson County Constable asks people to stop illegally dumping
You can be arrested for dumping anything over five pounds. Anything under 1,000 pounds is a misdemeanor, and over 1,000 pounds is a state jail felony.
Whoever did will have to show proof the items went to a landfill and their charge will drop to a Class C Misdemeanor.
"We do that because I don’t feel it’s right to have taxpayers pay to clean this up and so if we can make the offender come and clean it up, I think that’s the best thing," said Leal.
The best way to avoid a charge: not do it at all.
"It's not going to hurt to leave it in your car a little longer and wait until you get to the house to throw, say a bottle, away and for these guys. It's not going to kill you and dump it at the dump."
If you think you see illegal dumping happening, officials ask you to get a photo, but only without putting yourself in harm's way.
Reports can be called in to the Williamson County Constable Precinct 4 office or message them on social media.