The Missouri Department of Natural Resources is investigating the dumping of a large number of big-rig truck tires in the Big Piney River at the Gardner Ford bridge between Houston and Cabool.
The Texas County Sheriff’s Department and the Missouri Department of Transportation each received notification of the dump site Tuesday morning. MoDOT Houston shed foreman Travis Pearson observed the scene shortly after receiving word.
“Incredible,” Pearson said. “It’s just hard to believe that someone would do something like that.”
Pearson said he has seen similar situations in the past, and DNR often oversees the cleanup operation.
“This has happened before in other places and it’s a DNR issue, and we’ve assisted them in loading their trucks,” he said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen with this situation, but it’s terrible that somebody would do this.”