By JACK MORSE
The Brunswick News

James Holland sighed and shook his head as he eyed the trash people had left in the marsh near the Brunswick marina.

"It's sad to see this," he said Tuesday. "And it's not just an eyesore here. That stuff gets into our waterways."

And it's a lot of stuff. At various locations along Homer Wilson Boulevard, the dirt road located just north of the marina off Newcastle Street, one can find everything from diapers and beer bottles to ovens and washing machines.

"You name it. They're putting it there," said Holland, founder of the regional environmental organization Altamaha Riverkeeper. "It's everywhere."

Georgia Department of Natural Resources records indicate the problem goes back at least to 2002.

A report written in April of that year by Frank Van Arsdale, DNR environmental specialist, lists two sheets of plywood, two rugs, a metal cabinet, about 50 used tires, a bed mattress and an upholstered chair strewn about the area.

City of Brunswick employees cleaned up that mess, but the dumping continued.

"It's something that has just been occurring over and over again," said Jim Harris, program manager for DNR's Environmental Protection Division. "It gets cleaned up, and somebody goes and dumps something there again."
John Butts, public works director for the city, said his department has made multiple attempts to try to curb the problem, such as creating anti-dumping advertisements and putting notices in water bills.

"But it still occurs," Butts said. "It's very frustrating."

Some progress has been made, however. Butts said a number of individuals have been arrested in connection with the dumping.

Butts said the city is also in the process of installing a gate that will prevent access to Homer Wilson Boulevard at night, when most of the dumping is believed to be occurring.