PA CleanWays Holds Illegal Dump Cleanups In Dauphin County

PA CleanWays, with funding provided by The Greater Harrisburg Foundation, a component regional foundation of the Foundation for Enhancing Communities, organized two illegal dumpsite cleanups on April 25 and 27 in Upper Paxton Township, Dauphin County.

 

PA CleanWays and volunteers from the Millersburg Area High School Conservation Club and Wiconisco Creek Restoration Association, as well as local residents, removed and properly disposed a total of 13.52 tons of illegally dumped appliances, and trash and recycled 120 tires and 3.305 tons of scrap metal.

 

One site was just off of Isle of Q Road in the town of Rife on a steep hillside above the Wiconisco Creek. This dumpsite dated back to the 1930’s and was active until the 1970’s when dumping trash in a remote area was acceptable by all those in the community.

 

The second site was an illegal roadside dump that has been an ongoing problem on the Mahantango Mountain at Deibler’s Gap for many years.

 

The Wiconisco Creek is 42 miles long and the watershed area encompasses nearly 117 square miles of forested mountains and fertile valley farm land. The creek and its tributaries are a great place to trout fish, canoe, or just reconnect with nature.

 

The Mahantang Creek flows at the base of the north side of Mahantango Mountain and forms the northern border of Dauphin County. The creek is classified as a Warm Water Fishery by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the watershed drains approximately, 165 square miles into the Susquahanna River just north of the town of Millersburg. The Mahantango Mountain is a beautifully forested area overlooking the valley.

 

These cleanups were huge successes because of the dedication of the volunteers and support from Commonwealth Environmental Systems, Giant Foods, PennDOT, Sheetz, Upper Paxton Township, Walmart and Waste Management. Forty-nine volunteers contributed 343 hours to clean these areas.

Today, fortunately we have learned from the past that dumping affects the quality of our water, contaminates the soil used to grow our food and feed our livestock, and takes away from the beautiful Pennsylvania countryside.

 

To learn more, visit the PA CleanWays website.