Cleanup days planned to clear lake of abandoned cars, debris
At the top of a canyon on Wards Ferry Road is a remote area beside Lake Don Pedro, the perfect place for dumping loads of garbage, old furniture and even unwanted vehicles.
There have been several vehicles pulled out of Lake Don Pedro since the low water levels have revealed what was their resting spot for years.
Most of the time the vehicles are giant, unrecognizable chunks of mangled metal.
“If there weren’t wheels, you would not really even be able to tell that they’re cars. They’re just chunks of old rusty metal,” said Jim McCoy, Recreation Division manager.
At least six cars were pulled out of the lake during two cleanup days in mid-July, and another is slated for this weekend.
“We’re going to try to remove the remaining cars while the water is deep enough to pull them out and up,” Recreation Division Manager Lake Operations Dave Jigour said.
They will have barges with crane attachments to pull out more vehicles and other debris, McCoy said.
The cars, estimated to have been there 25 years or more, were buried by sediment and water in the lake, Jigour said.
“I don’t believe so much that the lake was a dumping area. It’s that the location in Wards Ferry is such a remote location, and it’s easy for people to unload any kind of trash without anybody seeing them. They can drive down there, and the chances of being caught are slim,” McCoy said.
Retha McPherson of La Grange said on a Facebook page devoted to Lake Don Pedro camping, boating and fishing, “We spent a lot of time up river when the water was high. During the night we could hear people dropping cars and whatever over the bridge. Just wondered if missing people were thrown over as well.”
Jigour said the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office has checked some of the cars to see if they were stolen.
“There isn’t much left on them to investigate,” he said.
Other debris commonly found in the lake includes appliances, furniture and just loads of junk, McCoy said.
“They (the vehicles) could be abandoned,” McCoy said. “They could be vehicles people want to get rid of. They could be stolen vehicles. It’s hard to tell. Most of them have been there for a really long time.”
The Tuolumne County Resource Conservation District and the Don Pedro Recreation Agency will host a Great Sierra River Cleanup event on Saturday for volunteers to gather and help remove trash from the river.
Volunteers will meet at the Wards Ferry Bridge at 8 a.m. to sign in, and work will begin at 8:30 a.m.
The work area will be on a steep slope with uneven terrain, and the work will require lifting rocks and other debris.
Volunteers should wear sturdy work shoes or boots and long pants, and should bring plenty of water and sunscreen.
Sandwiches and drinks will be provided after the workday.
Parking will be limited. To arrange a carpool, contact Kara Kelly at kara@tcrcd.org or (209) 984-0500.
