CALVERT, Texas (KRHD) — Over the years, Tidwell Creek has become a dumping ground, creating an eyesore for the community and damaging the creek's natural state.
- Some residents say they've seen animal carcasses, mattresses, tires, and other items dumped in Tidwell Creek.
- Neighbors who are caught dumping illegally can be fined from anywhere between $250 and $20,000.
- If you see anyone illegally dumping, you're recommended to contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-299-0191.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
"There's a proper way of disposing of things, and doing it this way, it's not good for our neighborhood or our city," Calvert resident Clara Ortega said.
Tidwell Creek is known as a dumping ground in Calvert.
Dog carcasses, trash, mattresses, and cabinets can be seen along this area.
"It makes me feel like someone doesn't care about our town because that's unfair to people that have to live in that area too," Calvert resident Ruthie Wortham said.
"It's pretty sad," Ortega said. "It's pretty sad."
Depending on the size of the item, neighbors can be fined anywhere from $250 to $20,000 if they're caught dumping illegally, and local police are monitoring the situation.
"They need to not dump and find somewhere else to carry," Wortham said.
Stanuel Hurst lives in Calvert.
He told 15ABC that the accumulated debris can block waterways and contribute to flooding.
"floods, flood, flood, flood. It floods all over here; every time it rains really hard, it floods," Wortham said.
"I think they've cleaned up some because we had water in our region. I think this way it was coming from, and it stayed for a while, but it's better now," Wortham said.
Clara Ortega thinks part of the issue comes from the lack of disposal options.
"If we had a place to take these things through, you wouldn't have all this dumping going around," she said.
Ruthie Wortham wants the dumping to stop for the sake of the community.
"I hope it doesn't continue. They need to find somewhere to do dumping because it's not fair to our neighbors and me as a whole in this little town we don't have much here, but we love it," she said.
