Mission Fiber Dump in Blythe Ordered to Clean Up
Riverside County's fight to clean up thousands of tons of material at an unpermitted "recycling" facility on South Broadway got a boast in Superior Court recently.
Judge James Cox, siding with Assistant County Counsel Pamela Walls, ruled that Mission Fiber has until March 4 to remove the material from the site, located just south of the Blythe City Limits.
"We've been monitoring this site closely for months, now, in an attempt to have the company comply with our orders to remove the materials," said Fourth District Supervisor Roy Wilson. "It became obvious that our best chance for compliance was a judge's ruling."
In addition to ordering the company to remove the materials by the deadline, the judge authorized the County to obtain a seizure warrant after March 4, allowing the County to remove the material, if they are still not in compliance. Further, the County is also entitled, under its ordinances to "reasonable abatement costs and fees."
"You can bet that on March 5, we will be on that property inspecting for compliance, and if it's not spotless, abatement will begin immediately," Supervisor Wilson said. "It is my intention to have that site cleaned up absolutely as quickly as we can."
County Code Enforcement officials first cited the company back in August when the unpermitted dumping occurred. When it became obvious that the company was not going to be forthcoming in the cleanup efforts, the County resorted to legal means to force compliance.