NATCHEZ — Adams County has received a $41,524 grant to help address illegal dumping.

The grant, awarded by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, has allocated and competitive portions, Adams County Road Department Executive Assistant Meg Freeman said.

The allocated portion of the grant was $12,320, while the remainder was the competitive portion, which included telling the state what the county has identified as illegal dump sites, that they will be maintained and that the county will issue citations to property owners if necessary, Freeman said.

The county will likewise post signs advising against using the cleaned up sites for dumping, she said.

“We have the two county constables, Willie B. Jones and Adam Kirk, and they are identifying the illegal dump sites,” Freeman said. “Once they identify them, the road department will go and clean them up.”

The funds are used to reimburse the county for the employee time used in cleaning the sites and the associated disposal fees, Freeman said.

“It is illegal to have a dump site on your property or to throw bags in a ditch,” she said. “Citizens inside the (Natchez) city limits pay for garbage pickup on their water bills, and county residents pay for garbage pickup every month — you are paying for garbage pickup, so don’t litter.”

Residents who need to can also use the two county dump sites, which are located on Foster Mound Road and Kingston Road.

The Foster Mound Road dump accepts all waste, while the Kingston site does not accept limbs or hazardous materials, Freeman said.

Residents who identify an illegal dump site can report it to the Adams County Road Department at 601-445-7935.