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As of the summer of 1994, the majority of municipal solid waste enforcement cases handled by the TNRCC dealt
with illegal municipal solid waste dump sites. These illegal sites proliferate for a variety of reasons. In a few cases, a community or private handler that does not have a permitted
municipal solid waste landfill will gain access to an absent landowner's property and use it. In other situations, an individual who wants to make a few dollars will allow his property to be
used for disposing of items like construction debris, old appliances, and old tires at a cheaper price than that charged by the municipal landfill.
There are also property owners who want inert waste as fill to build up their land. These dumps can contain
hazardous materials like pesticides that pose threats to groundwater and public health. County officials in the 32 counties of the Texas-Mexico border region have identified illegal dump
sites as a growing and extensive problem for the region. In a survey conducted by the TNRCC, county officials in this area identified approximately 1,200 sites that had been cleaned up by
local governments during one year.*
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