CLEANUP CAMPAIGN BEGINS.

Byline: Greg Botonis Staff Writer

LAKE LOS ANGELES - County officials on Thursday kicked off the the second phase of their illegal dumping enforcement program, erecting billboards and setting a cleanup date for the Antelope Valley's largest problem area.

Armed with $190,000 from the California Integrated Waste Management Board, officials announced plans for cleaning up Black Butte and posting billboards alongside the Antelope Valley Freeway and in Lake Los Angeles and Littlerock warning people about illegal dumping.

``This is a very serious problem out here,'' said Paul Alva, a spokesman for the county Public Works Department. ``We have secured over $500,000 to combat illegal dumping and that is an unprecedented effort. But there is still much more to go.''

The 16-acre Black Butte site is littered with more than 3,700 cubic yards of vehicle frames, tires, household waste, paints and oils - enough to cover a football field 11.5 feet deep, officials said.

The three-week cleanup of the Black Butte site will begin May 30 when the Public Works Department, the Sheriff's Department and the illegal dumping committee join forces.

The billboards will go up in late May, depicting a field of poppies, the message ``Keep Antelope Valley Clean,'' and the phone number to report illegal dumping - (888) 8-DUMPING.

The billboard campaign is expected to cost $15,000 to $20,000 for three months.

The cleanup projects are funded with a portion of fees charged for disposing of waste at landfills in the state.