Confluence in need of some TLC, ticketing

Law enforcement needs to patrol, penalize people who trash space

When did the confluence of the Gila and Colorado rivers become a dumping ground?

Yuma Sun Photographer Randy Hoeft drove out there looking for some photo opportunities, thinking perhaps he would find people playing in the confluence, kayakers, or dogs and their owners playing on the beach.

Instead, he found beer cans strewn across the ground, bags of trash, pizza boxes and water bottles. Someone even took the time and effort to drive a hot tub out there, abandoning it along the edge of the trees. Let’s think on that one for a moment. It’s no easy task to drag a hot tub out there, along the canal banks and down to the confluence. Wouldn’t a trip to the dump have been easier?

The icing on the proverbial cake? A deflated football, a sad symbol of a fun summer day, tossed carelessly on the shoreline, abandoned amid piles of debris and trash.

Ultimately, there is no one to blame for this mess except the people who use the space. Why trash an otherwise lovely sandbox? The space is a terrific place for people to play. There is shallow water there, great for younger kids to play, or to stretch a volleyball net over and get a few matches in.

But because it’s off the beaten path a bit, it’s become a place where people feel free to show their worst sides, leaving their messes behind for someone else to deal with.

In an ideal world, people would take self-responsibility, and pack out what they brought in. Clearly, however, that isn’t happening.

So instead, might we offer a suggestion? Send law enforcement out there, and start ticketing people who leave trash on the ground. Yes, this will divert agencies’ resources for a little while, but with summer approaching, it’s time to clean this space up. And it won’t take long for people to get the message.

In the meantime, the beach is in need of a clean-up advocate. If a local group is looking for a community service project, this would be a great one in need of some TLC.

And finally, if you go to the confluence to play, don’t be gross. Take your trash home, and throw it away properly. Yuma’s sandy beaches — even the remote ones — are not your personal trash dumping grounds. Unsigned editorials represent the viewpoint of this newspaper rather than an individual. Columns and letters to the editor represent the viewpoints of the persons writing them and do not necessarily represent the views of the Yuma Sun.