Property I'm looking at has a creek that has been used as an illegal dump site.

I really love this property I'm looking at, I really hope I can make it work, but I don't know about all the junk in a section where the creek forks off and ends. There is a pile of tires, there is a bunch of rooking shingles, and a lot of other junk.

I know that counties have rules about keeping creeks clean and while I slowly plan to empty the creek over time, is there a chance that I could get fined as soon as I get the property? How do I go about testing the area for any health concerns?

Anything else I might be missing?

are you up or downstream from the trash?

I'd call the city and ask what their policy is, you should have an amount of time to clean it up before the fines are imposed.

Get your soil and water tested for nasty things, it's not too expensive. Louisiana State University has a soil and water testing lab.

It may be worth it to talk to some neighbors, just to get a feel for them and some history on the property.

James Stallman wrote:I really love this property I'm looking at, I really hope I can make it work, but I don't know about all the junk in a section where the creek forks off and ends. There is a pile of tires, there is a bunch of rooking shingles, and a lot of other junk.
I know that counties have rules about keeping creeks clean and while I slowly plan to empty the creek over time, is there a chance that I could get fined as soon as I get the property? How do I go about testing the area for any health concerns?
Anything else I might be missing?

Around me, it's rather hard to buy undeveloped property without also becoming the proud (haha) owner of at least a couple dumped tires. The easiest thing to do is to add some language in your offer to the owner that your offer is contingent on the trash (be specific about the items) being removed at least two weeks before closing. Below is a copy of the language I used when I bought my property. While the previous owners did remove the refrigerator and most of the tires, I have found about five more tires over the years.

hau, James,

As John mentions, it is nearly impossible to locate vacant land without also locating some trash. His language for contract to purchase is great.
One other way to get the creek cleaned up is to contact the local authorities about the situation and see if they have any way to get a volunteer day set up for cleaning up the creek.
Many times asking the question can result in media attention that results in people coming to help with cleaning up areas such as the creek you mention.

Good luck and remember, there are lots of great folks around that are willing to give of their time and effort for a good cause. Local authorities may offer help in the way of machinery to haul off the trash collected.
Some times you can get help from the State Fish and Game or Forestry offices, it just depends on their take of the problem and how they are approached.

there is trash and there is asbestos ,heavy metals and toxic gick you have not even read about best to get it sampled

David

depends on if the sale is private or public (IE through Realtor ) private they probably won't help in any way through won't hurt to ask. a realtor they would be required to address anything that might be illegally dumped .ether way it won't hurt to try to get it cleaned before sale .

Taht reminds me of a creek I liked to visit in louisiana, except these hunters would drop of hideless deer carcasses over the bridge into the water and I'd have to grab a stick and push it away from the shallow oarts so it would go downstream.... I was only 12 at the time. If it had been now I probably would have called a game warden about it.