Amid illegal dumping cleanup, Austin data shows thousands of complaints citywide

AUSTIN (KXAN) — There’s no such thing as an empty field for Matt McCaw and John Davis.

As they walk through a portion of the Louis René Barrera Indiangrass Wildlife Sanctuary in east Austin documenting new growth, they see history and discovery.

McCaw and Davis are some of the sanctuary’s guardians. They’re with the Austin Parks and Recreation Department, which is responsible for managing the nearly 300 acres that make up the preserve.

“The management purpose is restoration and conservation of Blackland Prairie, which was the historic vegetation community in this area before European settlement,” said McCaw, who’s an environmental conservation program manager with Austin Parks and Recreation.

It is work the men believe passes their passion on to others.

“People come to preserves to have their senses put back in tune again and be in tune with nature,” said Davis, a conservation outreach coordinator for the preserves system with Austin Parks and Recreation.

But a sour note lingers just outside the sanctuary: illegal dumping.

A big pile of trash, from household goods to furniture and construction material, sits outside the sanctuary on Blue Bluff Road. Items are also discarded on other parts of Blue Bluff and nearby roads.

The trash is not just an eyesore, but dangerous to wildlife and the environment, Davis said.

"If you look around in this trash, you’ll see cans of paint, polyurethane. You’ll see dirty diapers, all kinds of contaminants come in this kind of waste pile," Davis said. “These chemicals can make their way into the soil and then ultimately find their way into our drinking water."

KXAN first reported the illegal dumping on roads east of Lake Walter E. Long earlier this month after avid cyclist Doug Ballew contacted KXAN frustrated over the trash along his route.

“It’s just something that we always talk about on our rides and how bad it is,” Ballew said at the time.

Days after our story aired, city cleanup crews started picking up other peoples’ discarded junk, everything from cans to couches to bags of coconuts.

Austin Code told KXAN Investigator Mike Rush it had been investigating dumping in the area before Ballew complained to KXAN, and the work was already scheduled on Lindell Lane, Blue Bluff and Bloor Roads.

They’re all frequent dumping spots, according to Austin Code.

“Man, that’s great progress. I can’t wait to get back out there and see it,” said Ballew upon hearing of the cleanup.

According to Austin city records, dumping citywide is far-reaching and frequent, with 3,423 reports to 311 of dumping throughout Austin since the start of 2023.

While the issue will never go away, Ballew believes the cleanup is a step in the right direction.

It also addresses a matter very personal to McCaw and Davis.

“We dedicate our lives to trying to manage habitat so we have good, clean habitat for people to enjoy and clean water and it’s really frustrating when we see things like this happen,” Davis said.

KXAN Investigates requested records from the City of Austin showing how much the cleanup on those three streets costs. We’ll update this article when we hear back.