Leaving the house this morning I did not have a plan of where I was going. Really when you are setting out to clean-up trash it really doesn't matter what direction you go, you'll find someplace that is a mess. I ended up on the Palmerton side of Lehigh Gap which I have cleaned at least three times already this summer. I was surprised at the end of my trip with close to three bags, I think this is the most I have collected from this site so far this summer.
This site always has problems and it is getting worse. Today I found three new places where someone brought in a truck and just dumped items. This was the first pile. I would like to point out that a lot of the wood scraps in this pile were treated. Treated wood especially the older stuff contains items such as heavy metals. When the wood breaks down the chemical contents added to it for preservatives are released.
By the river it was the same old thing. Recent high water has deposited more items on this section of bank.
Thrown down towards the river from the parking lot were two of these barrels. I wish law enforcement would care enough to track items like this back to the purchaser. The labels were perfect on this one and I am sure it could be tracked.
All found on a slope between an access road and the river. Either thrown down or washed up.
Tires, they are just everywhere and there is nowhere to go with them.
Another dump. Behind the tires are full containers of car fluids. I did not take the containers. They all looked fairly new and like tires I have nowhere to go with some of it. I think I am going to try writing the DEP tomorrow. I have had success with contacting them before, but in the past it was for a larger dump with worse contents.
All from around the parking area.
The third new dump. Multiple TVs just thrown down the bank towards the river. I did contact the recycling director for Carbon County earlier this week asking about electronics pick-ups. I found out that Carbon County no longer has any county recycling, it is all on the municipalities now. This, for me, makes it more complicated to try to remove something and get someone else to take it.
More debris piles, more trash.
I think this frisbee speaks for itself.
Along the river Penny did flush a timber doodle. If you are not sure what that is look it up. I will tell you it is a bird and it does have several common names.
At this spot today I realized something I hadn't thought about before. This is where the Aquashicola Creek runs into the Lehigh and I used to think that the wooden rock filled frames that you can see in the creek were just for an old bridge that crossed here. I knew sections of the canal ran on both sides of the creek, but I never put one and one together. The bridge that once went over the Aquashicola was not for a road, but for the canal and must have been pretty impressive. I would really like to see old photos of it, I really can't imagine how it was constructed.
At many sites along the Lehigh the canal has been turned into historic sites. Here it is used by individuals who take their trucks, jeeps and four wheelers through the bottom. It holds a small bit of water year round and if left alone would be awesome habitat. Instead it is constantly disturbed. Over the years I have found several snapping turtles trying to make a home out of it. After finding one freshly missing a large piece of its carapace (top shell of turtle) I now move any I find to the river.
Even the canal sides are being ruined. These were the newest gouges dug in. I just don't get the point. I could see a child getting a kick out of driving through a big mud puddle, but an adult. If this place was gated off and sometimes patrolled I think the area could be restored to a semi-natural state and the dumping that takes place would also be restricted.
You too can help with taking out the trash! If you get out hiking take a grocery bag with you, give it a second use and fill it with trash while you are out! Every bit helps. You can also help contributing to this project at: gofundme.com/takingoutthetrash
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