More than 2,000 junk tires were removed from properties around La Plata County this week, eliminating an eyesore as well as prime breeding grounds for disease-carrying mosquitoes.
And on Saturday, residents can drop off up to nine old tires at the La Plata County Fairgrounds, free of charge. Up to 2,000 tires will be accepted.
According to Joe Kuefler, manager of the Animas Mosquito Control District, the district last year looked at ways to reduce its operating costs, as well as reduce the amount of product it must use to treat mosquitoes.
That’s when they discovered the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has a grant that funds the removal of legacy tire dumpsites that were created prior to 2010.
For Kuefler, the light bulb immediately went off. By removing the tires, the district would no longer have to spend the man-hours or the cost of treatment on used-tire sites they treat.
After pitching the idea to the state health department, about $13,000 was awarded to haul off 4,000 tires. The mosquito district decided to remove half that amount from known problem properties, the other half through a drop-off for residents.
Kuefler hasn’t done the math yet, but with crew members paid about $20 an hour and product costing around $15 a pound, he expect considerable savings.
“We probably spend the equivalent of a week going out to all these areas and treating tires, so that adds up pretty quick,” he said. “And this eliminates 60 sites we treat every year, and that’s every year.
“From now on, we’ll save that.”
There are more than 300 species of mosquitoes, yet the most dangerous kinds, as far as disease transmitters, thrive in small, contained spaces with stagnant water, i.e. junk tires.
“In one week, millions of mosquitoes can hatch in these small containers,” Kuefler said.
“So we run all over the district putting product in them. By eliminating all this habitat, we no longer have to.”
The Animas Mosquito Control District covers an area from the Animas Valley, west to Wildcat Canyon, east near Farmington Hill and as far south as Weasel Skin bridge.
Before the district started treating, many longtime locals painfully reflected on how unbearable it was to go outside due to mosquito swarms, especially in the Animas Valley. The tire sites were a big part of that problem, Kuefler said.
“A lot of people bought property here with these tires already accumulated,” he said. “And a lot of these sites had more than 200 tires on them.”
Across the state, junk tires are a problem for health officials not only as prime mosquito-breeding habitat but also the fire danger they pose, said Brian Gaboriau with the state health department’s waste tire program.
Gaboriau said the state has listed tires as a “special solid waste,” which places certain stipulations on their disposal. Many landfills don’t like dealing with tires because of the space they take, he said. That’s why there’s a disposal fee.
Prices for tire disposal is dependent on the region but can cost anywhere from $2 to $15. Because there’s a fee, many people dump tires in fields or other areas.
“When people don’t want to pay the cost, they’re going to find an alternative,” he said.
“That’s when the state has to step in and abate.”
The 4,000 tires hauled off from this project will be taken to a processing facility on the Front Range to be converted into fuel.
The project may also serve as a template for the state, Gaboriau said.
“It’s kind of a test to see how this goes, and relook at it once the event is over to see if this is something the state should promote and do in future cleanups,” he said.
Residents who want to drop off tires Saturday can dispose of only nine tires at a time, and only regular car tires without rims will be accepted.
jromeo@durangoherald.com
Drop off tires
Residents can drop off up to nine old tires from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the La Plata County Fairgrounds, 2500 Main Ave. Up to 2,000 tires will be accepted as part of a mosquito-control program. Old tires are prime breeding ground for mosquitoes.
