Voice of the Mid-Columbia | Kennewick, Pasco and Richland, Wash. |
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closeThe Herald's recent story regarding litter along the Yakima River was nothing new to anyone who spends time on the river.
I float the Yakima in a pontoon boat and fly fish for smallmouth bass. I've seen for myself that garbage and litter are a growing problem.
Beer cans, fast-food wrappers and other trash degrade the natural beauty of the river. It's not just a shame, but also a crime.
Check out any river access point, and you will find all kinds of remnants from some of the two-legged visitors.
Herald reporter Joe Chapman was right to produce a feature story about Yakima River litter. The fishermen Chapman interviewed, Raymond Davis and Troy Dornbusch, have every right to complain about the litter.
It is real and it is out there.
The most troubling part of Chapman's article was the response of West Richland Police Chief Layne Erdman. "It certainly isn't this excessive junkyard that we keep hearing about," Erdman told the Herald.
He needs to ask himself, if the problem doesn't exist, why does the police department keep hearing about it?
Rather than saying the litter is, "on a par with what's been out there for years," as Erdman told the Herald, he should consider some reasonable, cost-effective steps to address his constituents' concerns.
Litter along the Yakima is a real issue for people who enjoy the natural resources that are right in the middle of the chief's jurisdiction.
The police department could work with the landowners and those entities that control access points to at least minimize the problem.
The most common sites for littering are the river access points, both the official access points and the informal ones used for convenience.
How about trash receptacles at river access points? Maybe even a supply of handy litter bags. You could post warning signs for littering with a number to call to report violators.
And the police department could periodically check river access points for litter violations during routine patrols.
These actions are not big-dollar items for the police department but are reasonable steps to address a growing problem that really does exist along the Yakima River.
And the last time I checked, littering was against the law.
* Dick Watts lives in West Richland with his wife, Nancy, and yellow Lab, Spey.
Editorials are the consensus of the Tri-City Herald editorial board.
Editorial board members are Rufus Friday, publisher; Chris Sivula, editorial page editor; Ken Robertson, executive editor; Matt Taylor, contributing editor; Lori Lancaster, editorial writer; Shelly Norman, editorial writer and Jack Briggs, retired publisher
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