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County officials, residents push for more staff, longer dump hours and local collection to curb illegal dumping
Summary
County staff outlined enforcement limits on BLM and federal lands, small staffing for code enforcement, and funding sources; residents and community groups called for a memorandum of understanding with neighboring Otero County and more local resources to support cleanups.
Doña Ana County staff and community volunteers discussed illegal dumping and cleanup programs at the March 4 work session, highlighting staffing limits, enforcement challenges on federal lands and community‑led cleanup efforts.
Christina Ainsworth, director of the county codes/enforcement program, told commissioners that Doña Ana County covers roughly 3,800 square miles with population concentrated along the Rio Grande and US‑70 corridors. She said approximately 75% of the county is federal land, much of it Bureau of Land Management property, and that remote public land is frequently targeted for dumping because local ownership and surveillance are limited.
Ainsworth described county enforcement capacity as small: one lead codes officer, four environmental codes…
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