“Every high water event we get five to 10,” Bowers said.
By: Lydia Crawley
The Parsons Advocate
High water on the Shavers Fork River has been causing an influx of used passenger and truck tires to collect on the banks near the Five River Campground in Parsons. Campground owner John Bowers spoke to the City of Parsons Council during their regular June 4th meeting about the issue. “Every year after there’s high water we clean them up,” Bowers said. “But it is causing me an inconvenience.”
According to Bowers, there are currently upwards of 14 tires marooned on an island in the river near the campground. “There’s 14, I think, on the island across from my park which I will get as soon as the water recedes enough that we can get over there to get them,” Bowers said.
Bowers said he has been taking the matter of cleanup on himself, but since the Campground is a considered to be a commercial entity, the option of free tire disposal is not available to him. “I have to trailer them myself and pay to get rid of them because I am a commercial entity,” Bowers said. “They will not accept free tires from me.”
Bowers asked the Council for assistance in disposing of the tires. “So if the City could help me out with that in some manner,” Bowers said. “Maybe get it so that they could haul them to the dump when they go over there,” Bowers said.
According to Bowers, the majority of tires that are in the river are passenger tires. Occasionally commercial tires make their way into the river, Bowers said. In the case of commercial tires, Bowers said he has to drive to Weston to dispose of them at the cost of $100 a ton. “They are mostly passenger vehicles, but when they are commercial tires, I have to pay $100 a ton to get rid of them and drive them to Weston,” Bowers said. “So it is a significant impact on my time frame.”
Bowers said he doesn’t mind cleaning up the river and removing the tires, but is in need of help with the disposal of the tires. “I don’t mind cleaning them up, but I also would like to be able to get rid of them without it being an expense and a time drain for me,” Bowers said.
Bowers said he thought the issue comes from residents tossing tires into the river during high water. The high water generally brings five to 10 tires to the area of the Campground, Bowers said. “I’m sure when the water comes up, we have some residents that just roll them in,” Bowers said. “Because they can’t be coming from anywhere other than that. Every high water event we get five to 10.”
Council Member Melissa Jones asked Bowers if the tires had rims on them. Bowers replied that most did not have rims, but occasionally some do wash up that are still connected to a rim. Jones said that tires needed to be taken off the rim in order to be taken to the landfill. “Now, the commercials do not,” Bowers said. “You have to pay for the weight.”
No action was taken on the issue at the meeting. The Council agreed to get back to Bowers on the issue.
