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Marin
Independent Journal (San Rafael, CA) January 1, 2005 Tire dump cleared out Author: Carla Bova, IJ reporter Hillside near Marin City was fire hazard, haven for mosquitoes. More than 2,000 tires have been removed from a decades-old tire dump on hillside property bordering Marin City. The area was infested with mosquitoes, which used water-filled tires as a breeding ground, and the mass tire removal means a reduction in the potential for spread of disease, according to Hazlitt Krog, Marin City Community Services District board member. "Now that the mosquito-borne West Nile Virus has recently reached Marin, the removal of the tires will provide three benefits: significant reduction in the risk from infection of West Nile Virus in the immediate area, elimination of a potential fire hazard and elimination of a potential source of groundwater contamination," Krog said in a statement. The tires were strewn across a steep site behind the Buckeye Roadhouse, bordering property of the Headlands Homeowners Association. The Headlands! complex in Marin City consists of 139 wood-shingled townhouses. Krog sits on the association board. The California Integrated Waste Management Board approved a $60,000 grant for the tire removal. The state grant includes funding for a second tire cleanup project in West Marin, Krog said. It took the Marin Conservation Corps six days, finishing Wednesday, to remove more than 2,000 tires. "People have been rolling tires down the hill for years," said Paul Cramer, natural resource crew coordinator with the Conservation Corps. "The tires were scattered all over the hillside. Some were buried in mud. We stockpiled them, then brought them down one by one." Officials estimated the tires had accumulated over 30 to 50 years. "There were some really old tires with a few looking like they came from classic cars, but there were also modern tires as well, a mix of ages," Conservation Corps crew leader Diony Gamoso said. "There were five tires we could! not remove because it had been so long, trees had grown through them - 25-foot saplings had grown through the tires."The Conservation Corps used a licensed recycling company to haul away the tires. Cramer said the tires are considered hazardous waste and cannot be disposed of without a permit. Caption
(photo unavailable): Contact reporter Carla Bova via e-mail at cbova@marinij.com Copyright and permissions(c) 2005 Marin Independent Journal. All rights reserved. Reproduced
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