I periodically walk around the access road to a pond adjoining the Chattahoochee River, and often take a few photographs. The pond is off Riverview Road, on the border of Mableton and Smyrna. It's part of the Riverline Historic District, where Confederate general Johnston set up fortifications in the days leading to the Battle of Atlanta. I've been told the pond was a clay dredging pond for the brick company which operated on the east side of the river. Normally it's a really nice walk. The area is peaceful and beautiful despite it's location on the most polluted section of the river.
Yesterday, though, I was met with a demoralizing sight. Someone had dumped what appears to be over a hundred tires along the banks of the pond, with some of them in the pond itself. I suspect when I return to take more photos and a rough count that my estimate of the number of tires will climb. I took a few photos, and returned home to figure out what to do about it. The likelihood of catching the perpetrators in the act is very low, and to discover the culprits by investigating the existing tires would require forensics reserved for high profile murder cases, not for catching dumpers.
But still, something had to be done, so I got in touch with the person who handles issues involving the Riverline Historic District with the Mableton Improvement Coalition. She forwarded a few of my photos and notes to the Cobb County government, who evidently have jurisdiction over the access road.
I then filed an online report with the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeepers, the non-profit which advocates for the river and does various cleanup. educational, and other projects related to the river.
I'm generally pessimistic about these guys being caught, but if they are they should be fined to the max. That section of river is only in the tentative first stages of healing, and stuff like this is a setback to the Chattahoochee's health.