By Peter Day
Senior Reporter
LUCERNE VALLEY — The county is hearing complaints and cracking down on illegal dumping in the Lucerne Valley area, according to Ignacio Nuñez, county code enforcement supervisor.
"We're trying to deal where it's coming from and dealing with it like that," Nuñez said during last Thursday's monthly meeting of the Lucerne Valley-Johnson Valley Municipal Advisory Council.
A recent, successful code enforcement investigation found that a Victorville church volunteer had illegally dumped construction related trash in Lucerne Valley after completing a volunteer job at his church. Nuñez's department contacted the church and confirmed that they had recently modeled.
"They said, 'Yes, we recently remodeled' and they didn't know about the dumping," he said. "The church sent out members and cleaned up the site."
Code enforcement also hosts community cleanup events, including one held last Saturday in Johnson Valley. An earlier cleanup in Lucerne Valley, which was aided vigorous support by local church members, was a resounding success, he added.
An inmate crew helps with trash and illegal dumping cleanups, he said.
Sadly, according to Nuñez, most illegal dumping is perpetrated by people who live within a mile of the dumpsite.
"Some of the dumping is done by some of property owners or tenants out here."
Nuñez encouraged residents to contact San Bernardino County Code Enforcement if they see an illegal dump site.
"If you find an illegal dump, we'll issue a citation and clean it up," Nuñez said.