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Pennsylvania CleanWays workers, who drove more than 12,000 miles around the county looking for such unsavory spots, had identified four in the township.
The same day the list ran, township officials were on the phone with the Greensburg-based nonprofit group, obtaining GPS coordinates to pinpoint the dumps.
"We did take it personally. We went out right away," said Charles Kraus, township administrator.
One, it turned out, was a spot where lumber and brush was being stored temporarily. Another had already been buried by backfill. Nothing amiss was found at a third spot.
But down a dirt lane that was once a public road and later abandoned by the township, there was indeed an illegal collection of other people's refuse.
The township is removing the refuse and has put up bollards and a chain to block access to the spot, now part of a farm, Kraus said.
The dump list also moved East Donegal residents as well as officials and residents from other municipalities to action.
Josh and Katie Crowl and family members have been victimized by illegal dumping at two spots on farm fields off Vinegar Ferry Road in East Donegal Township.
The dumping had gone on for years, but now they had had enough.
The Crowls contacted township officials, who agreed to provide a backhoe. The township then got in touch with Chris Edie of Edie Waste, a Marietta-based trash hauler, who offered a Dumpster and hauling to the county landfill.
The Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority agreed to take the waste for free.
Early Saturday morning, in the rain, six family members pushed up their sleeves and dug into the trash heap.
They were astounded at what they hoisted: most of the remains of a four-wheeler, a love seat, car seats, a hot water heater, a rocking horse and several dozen tires, some of them enveloped by tree roots.
It was hard pulling stuff out of the mud, but by noon they they had filled about half of a sizable Dumpster. On Monday, the township used heavy equipment to pluck a large sofa and some construction debris.
"It was kind of fun, actually," Katie Crowl said Monday. "I felt like I was contributing."
Still, she shakes her head at the fact that people resort to illicit dumping on other people's property, usually under the dark of night.
"It doesn't take too long before people think they've found their own personal dumping ground, and it gets pretty full quickly," she said.
"But now that it's been cleaned up, we'll be able to see new stuff that is dumped, and it will be easier to clean up."
At another illegal dumping spot in East Donegal Township, off Carmany Road, the township will be offering to assist the property owner in a cleanup, said Jeff Butler, township manager.
Other townships have reacted to the infamous list.
Colerain Township officials set out to find the site listed by Pennsylvania CleanWays and ended up discovering two more dumping spots.
Township supervisors had road crews remove the waste and are currently keeping a close eye on the spots, said Chuck Emrick, township zoning officer.
Eden Township, armed with a state grant, was able to remove trash, including 1,600 tires, from 2.7 miles of the Low-Grade Enola rail line right of way. Also cleared was a garbage truck full of scrap metal that was recycled.
Most of the grunt work was done by 14 boys and girls from Solanco High's FFA clubs.
Such community-inspired cleanups is just what Pennsylvania CleanWays hopes to accomplish by calling out illicit trash heaps.
"One of the purposes of the surveys is to make an awareness within the counties and municipalities about illegal dumping," said Todd Crouch, program manager.
"Many of these can be cleaned quickly and will be monitored for future dumping."
Crouch noted that, compared to most other counties in Pennsylvania, the number of roadside dumps found in Lancaster County was low.
