Illegal dumping in Clay County costs taxpayers money, frustrates homeowners

EXCELSIOR SPRINGS, Mo. — KSHB 41 News reporter Lauren Schwentker covers stories in the Northland, including in Clay and Platte counties. Have a story idea? Send her an email.

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Illegal dumping near the intersection of NE 150th Street and Watkins Road in Clay County is costing taxpayers money and frustrating homeowners.

Clayton Massey, who lives in Excelsior Springs, says people repeatedly dump trash and debris on his property.

"It's been an ongoing problem," Massey said. "More was dumped, hauled it away and then it happened again."

KSHB 41/ Clay county sheriff's office

The most recent mess included drywall, diapers, boxes and more.

The Clay County Sheriff's Office says its roads and bridges department had to clean up the dump site at taxpayer expense. Massey says he has also taken it upon himself to clean up the mess.

"Probably about a week," Massey said when asked how long cleanup took.

Massey and his neighbors are also worried about what is being left behind.

KSHB 41/ Clay county sheriff's office

"We have no idea what kind of material is being dumped, if it's hazardous or not," Massey said.

The Excelsior Springs Police Department caught the suspect responsible for the most recent dumping incident and cited them for littering.

Ryan Dowdy, patrol division commander for the Excelsior Springs Police Department, says charges can escalate depending on the amount of material dumped.

"We've had cases in the past where someone has left a tremendous amount of trash and human waste behind a dwelling. [We] ended up doing state misdemeanor charges for that," Dowdy said.

KSHB 41

The problem also extends into downtown Excelsior Springs.

Body camera footage from the end of June shows the city had to bulldoze items off city property.

Dowdy says the cleanup diverts resources from other critical needs.

KSHB 41/ Clay county sheriff's office

"The manpower, the labor hours. Now instead of being spent to fix a pothole or waterline, it's now being used to pick up trash," Dowdy said.

Massey has a direct message for anyone considering dumping on his land.

"It is not a dumping site any longer; please do not dump here," Massey said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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