EUNICE, N.M. (AP) — State officials say they discovered a massive illegal dumping site in southeastern New Mexico while cleaning up a former limestone mining pit.
The small plot of state trust land near Eunice hasn't been leased since the 1970s. Workers who were disposing of mine waste and reseeding the area found tons of trash and tires that likely had been buried there for decades.
The New Mexico State Land Office says the additional work to clean up the dump bumped up the price tag for the project by $45,000. The office is seeking an environmental assessment and whoever is responsible for the illegal dumping.