Huge piles of "bio waste" have been dumped in northeastern Lucerne Valley near Lincoln. PETER DAY/FILE PHOTO
Neighbors complain of early morning dumping of brown, smelly waste
By Peter Day
Senior Reporter
LUCERNE VALLEY — Agricultural property owners who let refuse companies dump large mounds of pulverized 'bio waste' on their land are being warned by the county to use it or get rid of it.
"We've opened up 11 case files on different properties," said Ignacio Nuñez, code enforcement supervisor for San Bernardino County.
According to Nuñez, the property owners are being told they can keep the waste if they use it as agricultural fertilizer within six months. However, some are not using the refuse.
"Those piles were sitting there for more than six months," he said. "What we're saying is, 'Look, don't store more than you can use.'"
Not all of the Lucerne Valley property owners contacted by Nuñez's department have expressed a willingness to comply.
"We had a couple other properties that we're still working on."
Those, Nuñez said, are being warned they are operating illegal businesses.
Nuñez shared his update on the bio waste dumping situation at Thursday's monthly meeting of the Lucerne Valley-Johnson Valley Municipal Advisory Council at the Lucerne Valley Community Center.
Several Lucerne Valley residents have complained of pre-dawn deliveries of bio waste carried in large trucks. Trucks typically travel eastbound on Rabbit Springs Road until they reach large agricultural properties often used as alfalfa farms in the northeastern part of Lucerne Valley.
In one case, a property owner who lived out of town was unaware that the bio waste had been dumped on his property, Nuñez said.