Days after cleanup, trash dumped along Clackamas River
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CLACKAMAS, Ore. - Hundreds of volunteers scoured the Clackamas River collecting tons of trash last week but just days later someone used the river as their personal garbage dump.
The Clackamas County Sheriff's Office worked to clean up the new dump site but they can't get to it all.
The dump site is just upstream from Riverside County Park. Whoever dumped the trash threw it off a nearly vertical cliff from the road above. They parked in a narrow turnout on Clackamas River Drive and heaved it over the edge.
The sheriff's office had to use its boat to get to the tricky spot.
They found all sorts of trash: paint, diapers, a fishing tackle box and just tons of junk. Deputies found some clues about the culprit in the trash.
"We have an address of where we think this came from, but we don't know if this is the person who cleaned it up, the person who was living there, someone contracted to do it, if it was a pass-off of cleaning service, that's what the investigation is going to reveal," said Sgt. Adam Phillips, spokesman for the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office.
It is the same stretch of river that more than 400 volunteers with We Love Clean Rivers scoured just last week. Unfortunately, a lot of this new round of garbage will have to stay put. It's caught up on the side of the sheer cliff where it's too dangerous to get to.
There was another cleanup Wednesday on the Willamette River as well. Crews with the city of Milwaukie pulled about 20 Oregonian newspaper boxes out of the river after someone dumped them there.
There is a positive to all this. We Love Clean Rivers sponsors an art show - art that it is made out of things they pull from the Clackamas River. That art is on display this weekend in Oregon City on Main Street from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. starting Friday and ending Sunday.
This commercial needs to be brought back.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7OHG7tHrNMÂ
People who throw their trash along side the road or in the river need to be lined up and just shot in the head.
Probably someone from Portland who cannot stand the trash being picked up every other week.
I would say if your name is found in the trash, you are responsible for it. You either did it, or know who took it away. Be responsible for your own trash! Â
These littering crimes are heinous. The scumbag that did this only saved himself about $30.00 in dump fees and now people have to waste their time to clean it up and use the Sheriffs boat and burn gas. The penalty for these atrocities should be a mandatory 10 days in Co. jail plus the fines.Â
This seems like it this might be part of the issue with the new garbage policies in Portland. Garbage clean up every other week will be causing people to illegally dump their piled up trash.
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Reminds me of the song Alice's Restaurant.
I reported those newspaper boxes about 2 years ago. Its good to see them finally cleaned up. Some of them looked like they had been there for alot of years.
In the early 80's I found behind my house in a field a new pile of garbage, so with a stick I pushed it around a bit and turned up a prescription bottle with a name on it and a utility bill with the same name. I turned it over to a sheriff and about four hrs. later the sheriff called me and asked me to check and see if the pile had been cleaned up. I called him back and told him that it was all cleaned up. He then told me that the person will be going to court for illegal dumping which has a $500.00 fine and a mis. charge against the person on the items I found and thanks for turning it in. This person lived down the street from me.
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Two yrs. later I was introduced to a new employee in my shop and guess what, THE SAME PERSON I REMEMBER as the person who dumped a huge pile (about a pick-up truck size load) in the field behind my house. I wasted no time in bringing that up in front of other co-workers. Sorry, but I just had to do it!
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This story say's they think they may know who is responsible, and that is because personal info in the pile was discovered. It is worth it to take a close look at the garbage when you find it and turn in any names you can gather.
Big fine, jail, and cleaning the entire thing up by hand <--- should be required of anybody selfish enough to dump their garbage in any river or water. Â Water is essential to life. Â Millions depend on our rivers for drinking water, and clean wholesome recreation. Â Ongoing kudos to hero Sam Drevo who continually works to keep water safe and paddling fun. Â
 @Leska Emerald Adams Right on ! While they are in jail , they need to have the job of cleaning all the toilets naked ..
Some people are just wasted space.
Hope they find the responsible party and fine the heck out of them. Dumping your trash anywhere like that is just offensive.
 @Ifishsum Make the offenders pick it all up with their bare hands and have to put it in their own living room for 60 days as a fine.
 @whirledworld  @Ifishsum Dumping the trash in their living room would probably only improve the looks of the place.
@whirledworld @Ifishsum Unfortunately the type that would do this deed would probably never notice the trash in the living room.