An investigation shows that hundreds of butane gas cannisters that have washed into Rollins Reservoir did not originate on land owned by the Bureau of Land Management. Nevada County Sheriff’s Lieutenant Bill Smethers says the cannisters were on private, vacant, property…

click to listen to Lt. Smethers

Nevada Irrigation District officials stated recently that they believed the cannisters were linked to butane honey oil manufacturing on illegal encampments on BLM land. But Smethers says no evidence of encampments has been found and the cannisters could have been dumped from other areas of the county a long time ago…

click to listen to Lt. Smethers

Smethers also says it’s not believed the property owner was involved with any of the dumping. NID says there has been no threat to water quality in Rollins Reservoir from the cannisters. Smethers says multiple illegal dump sites have been found in the Greenhorn Creek area over the years. But cannisters and other trash washed down ravines into the reservoir from the first wet winter in four years.