The Department of Environmental Protection is now investigating six piles of debris illegally dumped in the region, spokeswoman Colleen Connolly said Tuesday.

Two piles were discovered last Thursday in Carbon County, one on Riverview at the Torco property in East Penn Township and another on the Snyder Tire property on Route 443 in Lehighton.Later in the week, another was discovered on Route 309 in Kline Township, Connolly said.Since that time, additional piles of debris have been found in East Penn and Franklin townships in Carbon County and Rush Township in Schuylkill County.Connolly wasn't sure of exact locations of the new piles and said some are on private property.All piles contain construction debris and are linked, Connolly said."There is evidence that it originated in New York or New Jersey, and we're looking at a local hauler," she said.The practice of illegal dumping in Pennsylvania has happened before, Connolly said. Several incidents have occurred in the Lehigh Valley. "Every now and then it pops up when people think they can get away with it," Connolly said.Police handle the criminal aspect of the incident, while DEP looks at the civil aspect, looking at the possibility of revoking a hauler's license or determining if the license was valid.With a proper license, a hauler can bring debris into Pennsylvania, but it must be disposed of properly.Connolly said she expects the investigation to take several weeks. "It's a painstaking investigatory process to link back to the hauler."