TAKING an afternoon drive to enjoy the scenery and tranquillity of Leslie Dam is a tradition for many Warwick residents and visitors alike.

But the operator of the dam's tourist park fears visitors dumping their rubbish could tarnish the dam's image.

Lake Leslie Tourist Park operator Caroline Bennett has been cleaning up rubbish left behind near the dam for three years.

Now she's declared enough is enough.

Her frustration has boiled over after comments on social media at the weekend by visitors about the dam resembling a "rubbish dump".

The issue was raised on the Warwick Buy, Swap and Sell Facebook page at the weekend.

Stuart Batterham posted on the page, describing the dam as "the most disgusting public area we've ever seen".

"Do not waste your time at Leslie Dam," he wrote.

"Took all of the children down to Leslie Dam for a day out fishing and was speechless."

Mr Batterham said the area was littered with dirty nappies, broken glass and rotting food.

"Whoever is the authority that is responsible for this dam needs their a**** kicked," he wrote.

Mrs Bennett said the main area for rubbish was around the boat ramp.

"It (the area) is across the road from us, that's where most of the water activities happen," she said.

"It reflects on our caravan park, our town in general - the local people."

The recreational area around the boat ramp is managed by SunWater.

Camping in the area is not permitted, making it a popular area for day trippers such as fishermen.

A SunWater spokeswoman said staff regularly emptied bins and tidied rubbish in the area.

"We encourage visitors to keep the area tidy by disposing of their rubbish in bins provided or take it with them when they leave," she said.

"If rubbish enters our water supply scheme, it can compromise the quality of the water and harm the natural environment.

"Members of the public can report littering to the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection or to the council."

Lake Leslie Tourist Park operator Adam Bennett said the area was clean for the most part, but a busy Christmas period had seen hundreds converge on the dam.

"There's always a filthy pig in the bunch," Mr Bennett said.

"The SunWater manager works very hard to keep the area clean."

Further down the road at Washpool Camping Reserve, visitors are reportedly more respectful of the dam.

The Southern Downs Regional Council confirmed there had been no complaints about rubbish left behind at the council-operated site.

"Council's caretaker was contacted and verified the cleanliness of the reserve," manager of corporate services Peter Gribbin said.

While she would be sad to see it happen, Mrs Bennett suggest maybe the only way to make people think twice about dumping their rubbish would be to charge them.

"People go there (to the boat ramp) because it's free - it's a freebie for everybody," she said.

"Maybe we should put a price on visiting places so people could justify their actions.

"Or we could just start fining people."