The Department of Natural Resources has cut off access to an illegal tire dump on state-owned land in Albany. Staff members will begin the messy cleanup to avoid further environmental hazards.

Members of the Wildlife Resources Division have already put up gates to keep people from dumping more tires at the southeast Albany site. Now begins the cleanup of the estimated 800 tires, which will come out of the department’s budget.

Bonnie Pope, with the state’s Environmental Protection Division says the dumped tires could pose potential environmental and health hazards:

“The problem with tires in the wild is that they hold water and they stay warm and that makes them a perfect incubator for mosquitoes.”

It’s not known who filed the complaint about the tires, but the Environmental Protection Division has begun an investigation of the dump site.

Tags: Albany, Department of Natural Resources, tires