04:36 PM PDT on Saturday, April 22, 2006

By KRISTINA BRENNEMAN, kgw.com Staff

An illegal dump in North Portland is not only the site of an Earth Day cleanup, it’s also the site of intense investigation.

KGW photo

Health workers gather mosquito larvae at a North Portland dumpsite.

There are dozens of tires dumped at the site, located at Columbia Boulevard and Macrum Street, and that’s something the county’s pest control is concerned about.

Not only are the tires an eyesore, but they hold water that becomes a breeding ground for mosquitos.

Three days ago, while looking for mosquito larvae from the Far East, they found eight larvae near this area. Not only are they aggressive, the mosquitoes can also carry Japanese encephalitis.

And pest control wants to control the population before it gets out of hand.

The two men in white coats are sifting through discarded tires with a close eye. Their biggest concern is what’s living in the tires.

Now is a good time to start getting rid of that stagnant water in your yard.

You’ll find it in empty wheelbarrels, bird baths, rain gutters…. Even a tarp on the wood pile can hold pockets of water.

There’s no reason to panic about this japonicus. Right now trying to find out where it’s breeding and stop it before it gets out of control.

(KGW reporter Jane Smith contributed to this report.)