Tire dump owners told to clean up property

11/18/2005

The Toledo-Lucas County health board has ordered the owners of a Harding Township tire dump to remove the estimated 40,000 tires there and clean up the property.

If the owners fail to remove the tires by the end of next year, the health board will ask state officials to remove the tires and then bill the property owners.

The four-acre property at 229 Schwamberger Rd., owned by Estel and Laurie Hudson of 825 Schwamberger, Spencer Township, has been a problem for at least 10 years, said Alan Ruffell, the health department's director of environmental health.

The Hudsons could not be reached for comment.

The health board unanimously passed an order requiring the cleanup at its board meeting yesterday.

Mike Tyson, a member of the health board, said, "This issue has been on the radar screen for a long time. Something needs to be done. It's gone on long enough."

Mr. Ruffell said the tire dump poses a fire risk because tire fires are hard to control and cause a lot of pollution.

He also said scrap tires are a breeding ground for mosquitoes because the tires often contain standing water.