BRONSTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — On Monday, Pulaski County homeowners, Michael and Stephanie Watson, caught video of people dumping what they describe as a nearly 20-foot truckload of trash in a lot behind their home. When they asked what they were doing, Michael says, "They said 'we're filling a sinkhole, and that's what we're doing.' And I said 'you are not gonna leave it like this, you cannot leave this like that.'"'
Tuesday, they found that someone came back to burn the trash. Now, the couple says they worry when it rains, the trash pile will be carried into Lake Cumberland.
Stephanie says, "We're very close to Lake Cumberland, our home sits right on the lake and the runoff from that is going to be going directly into the lake and to the drinking water."
The couple has reached out to several county leaders looking for answers. They did connect with the county's solid waste coordinator, Danny Masten. His office sent a letter to the property owners, identified as Lake Oasis LLC out of Georgetown. State statutes say trash can only be disposed at a landfill or transfer station.
Masten says, "You can’t dump anything on a property, and you can’t store garbage on a property, you can’t dump it and wait for it to go away or burn it — that's illegal as well.”
Masten explains that everyone in the county can opt-in to their waste removal services. It costs between 10 and 20 dollars depending on where people are. It's not clear if Lake Oasis LLC is signed up. He says dumping like this is a health hazard.
"The last thing we want is someone illegally burning the trash. Another thing, we don't want it getting in our waterways — we don't want it in our lake,” says Masten.
Unfortunately, because this pile is on private property, the county says they won’t be able to pick it up. The Watsons say this community is known for its lake and natural beauty. As proud residents of the county, they want to see it kept clean.
Michael shares, "I would hope that it would be taken...that we actually, make a (difference). Yes, make a difference to and help beautify, you know, keep the land, keep the area, down here beautiful."
The county's solid waste department says it's important to report dumping and burning as soon as possible.
