The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency has closed all access area roads to Mt. Roosevelt Wildlife Management Area because of illegal trash dumping.
TWRA said approximately 10 tons of waste has been dumped on the site near Rockwood over the past several years. The agency recently spent more than $120,000 removing waste from the site that included tires, gas tanks, building materials and household waste. TWRA crews cleaned up the majority of the trash, but also used contract crews to clear some of the waste.
The problem has been ongoing, and the area was previously closed in 2016 for the same reason, TWRA said.
Hunters can still access the area by foot. TWRA plans to reopen access roads for the spring turkey hunting season.
Officials said the wildlife management area is under surveillance and wildlife officers are investigating leads into the illegal dumping.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the TWRA Region III office at 931-484-9571.
