PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — What may look like a local landfill is, in fact, what remains of winter in parts of Philadelphia.
Dark, debris-covered mounds are among the few remaining snow piles left across the city, including in Strawberry Mansion.
As warmer weather arrives and residents spend more time outdoors, some said they did not even realize there was snow beneath the grime.
Antonio Williams said he was surprised when he learned what he was looking at.
“I come out here to meet up with my son. I said, ‘Where did all this dirt come from?’ He says, ‘It’s not dirt, it’s ice, covered with dirt.’ I said, ‘Can’t be,'” Williams said.
Lawrence Shaw said he also initially mistook the piles for trash.
“If you look at the bottom, you can see the water coming out. I didn’t believe it was ice until you looked down there and you see all the water on the street,” Shaw said.
One possible explanation is that snow plows and dump trucks collected street filth along with snow during the winter storms earlier this year. Residents, however, questioned why garbage appears mixed in with the melting piles.
Yasir Williams said illegal dumping may be part of the problem.
“Probably dumpers putting trash over the top of it, and thought the city was going to pick it up or something,” he said.
The situation is not unique to Philadelphia. Adaela McLaughlin, from Boston, said dirty snow piles are common there as well.
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