Raw Sewage Dumped Along City Street
Urine, feces, and who knows what else. Not only is dumping raw sewage illegal within city limits, but also downright disgusting.
An east Las Cruces resident, who did not want to be identified, said she sees someone regularly dump waste along a city street near her home, and she is sick of it.
“It was the scent of feces, urine…I mean, it was absolutely the most horrid smell,” the woman said, as she described the stench along a nearby roadway.
And the smell is coming from hardened piles of beige-colored sludge.
For nearly 200 yards, what is believed to be raw sewage coats the edges of Stanley Road in both directions.
Not only is it infiltrating a residential area but also in plain view from Highway-70.
For the past few weeks, neighbors said they have actually witnessed a truck drive up, pour sewage along the roadway and then speed off.
The clumps of waste and gunk are not only nauseating to smell and see near a home, but more than anything, residents said it is a health hazard.
“It’s disgusting, I wonder what I’m breathing, what my neighbors are breathing, it’s horrible,” the woman said. “We have to basically find the person who is doing this but more importantly is getting it cleaned up – that’s really our main concern because we don’t know what we’re breathing.”
ABC-7’s New Mexico Mobile Newsroom contacted city officials to see what, if anything, is being done. They would not comment on-camera but a spokesperson said, “The city of Las Cruces is aware of it. We’ve been notified from the New Mexico Environmental Department, but this is a state issue, and it is up to them to investigate and determine the wrongdoing.”
ABC-7’s New Mexico Mobile Newsroom also placed a call to the NM Environmental Department but never received a call back.
Codes officials said they have stepped up patrols in that area, but also emphasized how important it is for residents to report illegal dumping and take down a license plate number when they see it happening so they can catch who is responsible.
