Keweenaw Report Your Source for Local News and Sports
For some, it’s a place of scenic beauty, a pristine recreational spot and a home to local wildlife.
For others, it’s good place to throw out their trash.
In the area of the Hungarian Falls, someone has dumped a fair amount of old junk apparently thrown off the side of a bridge that spans a deep ravine.
Old tires, a mattress, computers, television sets and even a four-wheeler are rotting in the waters downstream of the main series of falls in Houghton County.
Michigan Department of Natural Resources Lieutenant Peter Wright says it may be difficult to find out the persons responsible without someone coming forward, but if the culprit is found, there are stiff penalties possible.
The amount or type of litter will dictate the penalty.
It can be as simple as a civil infraction with a fine of up to $800 or a 5 year/ $10,000 felony for a second conviction of dumping infectious/pathological waste.
In addition to these penalties, a person can be required to pay for the cost of removing the litter, cost to repair damage to the property, and community service.
Hungarian Falls is not alone. The Michigan Coalition For Clean Forests list more than 600 illegal dump sites in Michigan. Four of them, not including this latest discovery, are in Houghton County.
Their website, www.cleanforests.org, has information on how to Adopt-A-Forest to get clean up efforts organized, like the one now needed at Hungarian Falls.
