Firm suspected of illegally dumping waste

Lynn Doan and Cy Ryan

Friday, July 30, 2004 | 9:39 a.m.

Authorities raided the offices of a Las Vegas company Wednesday that is suspected of dumping hazardous trash at an illegal waste site in Lincoln County, Metro Police said.

Metro investigators, accompanied by the Nevada Highway Patrol, Clark County Health District and Clark County Fire Department, searched the offices of Nevada Construction Clean Up Inc., 2745 N. Nellis Blvd., for "items" that would prove the company is dumping trash at the illegal Western Elite waste site in Lincoln County. Police also suspect the company has dumped debris along a public highway.

Company officials could not be reached for comment.

In April, the state attorney general's office filed a lawsuit against Western Elite, which it claims violated a consent decree that limits the corporation to 270,000 cubic yards of nonhazardous waste at the site. The suit alleges Western Elite has illegally accumulated 1 million cubic yards of waste.

If Nevada Construction Clean Up is cooperating with Western Elite, officials said, it is "discharging hazardous waste in an unlawful manner."

Metro Deputy Chief Greg McCurdy said the search went "very smoothly," but he would not say what was taken from the offices because the investigation is ongoing. McCurdy said investigators were looking specifically for the type of construction debris the company is suspected of illegally dumping.

"(The company) was very cooperative when the officers arrived to executive the warrent," McCurdy said. "It took several hours to go through the offices and look for items."

Deputy District Attorney David Barker, who is handling any future county action against the company, said the investigation may result in a criminal prosecution as well as a lawsuit. Barker said he was not allowed to comment any further because it is still considered an open investigation.

A spokesperson from the Health District and one from Clark County said they were also unable to comment until the investigation is complete.

Tim Murphy of the state Bureau of Waste Management in Las Vegas said soil and water samples collected from Nevada Construction Clean Up are being tested to determine if they are contaminated. He said the state would wait for the results of the testing before it decides if any action will be taken.

"It wasn't a disaster," said Murphy, who said the waste isn't an immediate threat to humans.

Deputy Attorney General Susan Gray said a tentative hearing date for the state's lawsuit against Western Elite has been scheduled for Sept. 10.