Thousands of tires found dumped by Tacony Creek in Crescentville

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The city is working to clean up a mountain of tires illegally dumped at Tacony Creek Park in the Crescentville section of Philadelphia.

Thousands of tires were discovered in a wooded area near Newtown Avenue by the water.

Park visitors said this is an issue throughout the area.

"I see it once every few days. Trash and furniture gets dumped there all the time," said Tommy Ngo, who runs through the park daily.

City officials said they believe businesses and individuals are using the area as their own dump site, bypassing the locked gate and large 'no dumping' signs.

"The City of Philadelphia is always challenged with dealing with illegal dump sites," said Carlton Williams, the director of the Office of Clean and Green.

Williams said the city cleans up about 250,000 tires illegally dumped across the city every year. The site near Tacony Creek was one of the biggest.

Earlier in the week, city workers started the clean-up process. Next month, volunteers will finish the job.

"Because of the amount and the depth, meaning there was almost a mountain full of tires, we wanted to make it safe for our volunteers," said Williams.

The volunteers will get to work during the annual Philly Spring Clean-up on Saturday, April 5.

The city is looking for volunteers and suggestions for other sites to be cleaned up.

After the site is cleaned, cameras will be added and enforcement efforts will increase.

Visit the citys' website to sign up for the Philly Spring Clean-up