There's a sign in front of "Brewery Hill" near the corner of Portland and Norwood avenues that warns people of $1,000 fines for illegal dumping.

The streets are barricaded behind an entrance sign to the empty Legends at River's Run development project. Most streets leading to it also are blocked off.

"None of it stops people from dumping their trash and junk out there," said Kathleen Rutten, who lives with Dale Hammond on the 1200 block of South La Crosse Avenue, less than a mile from the dump site on Pueblo's Lower East Side.

Rutten and Hammond called it "out of control illegal dumping."

Mounds of trash litter the hills at the site just northeast of the old Walter's Brewery property. There are piles of old building materials, mattresses, household appliances, televisions and even a jet tube. Kitchen trash, broken bottles and needles also are part of the scattered heaps.

"It's literally a dump," Hammond said.

Hammond often rides on horseback and discovers new dumps almost every time, he said.

"We busted a guy doing it one time and we made him load his truck back up. We also called the police," Hammond said.

The owner of the property is listed as PBB LLC. in Cottonwood Heights, Utah.

An assistant to Lloyd Thomas, a company official, told The Pueblo Chieftain Wednesday that PBB was not aware of the illegal dumping.

"We usually get a notice from the city if there is a problem. I am assuming that we have not received anything from the city. I haven't heard anything," the assistant said.

The assistant said the company has hired people to clean up illegal dumps on the property in the past.

"I am not sure how long ago that was."

"Is there not a dump somewhere that people can take their stuff to?" the assistant asked.

"I don't understand why they don't put it (trash) somewhere else. I think maybe the cops need to patrol it a little better."

The assistant said that it is hard for the company to see the problem from Utah.

"It helps to be aware," the assistant said.

"I just think it's really sad. I am sorry that it is happening and people have to see it, but we are just not aware unless somebody lets us know."

Pueblo City Manager Sam Azad said the city's code enforcement department will respond to complaints from citizens. The code enforcement office was notified about this illegal dump site Tuesday.

"If it's on private property, then it's the responsibility of the private property owner to get it cleaned up. If they don't clean it up, then we will clean it up and either summon them to the court or put a lien on the property for the next year's tax sales. If they don't pay those taxes with the associated lien, then it goes on a tax sale," Azad said.

"But first, we need to get notification from somebody about the violations. Then we will send our officers out to assess the violation. If it's a violation we will notify the property owner."

Azad said reports are checked out on a first-come, first-served basis.

"We are way behind right now. If somebody calls us today, we are definitely not going to be there tomorrow issuing notice of violation," Azad said.

After a notice of the violation is served, a property owner is given 10 days to clean up.

"This has been going on for years," said Hammond, who was born and raised in his 104-year-old home near the site.

"It used to be in one big spot. Now it's all over the property. We just want it cleaned up. This is going to bring rats," Rutten said.

Those wanting to notify the city's code enforcement office of violations can call 553-2677.

anthonym@chieftain.com