Company must fix creek, wetlands
By Todd Hartman, Rocky Mountain News
Published January 10, 2008 at 12:30 a.m.
The Environmental Protection Agency has ordered an excavating company to restore a section of creek and wetlands in city of Lafayette open space, which the firm allegedly damaged in violation of the Clean Water Act.
The agency's regional office in Denver said Kenneth L. Schell and Twin Peaks Excavating Inc. dug a new stream channel in Rock Creek, filled nearby wetlands with debris and then filled about 150 feet of the original channel last March and April.
The work was conducted without a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and without permission from Lafayette, the EPA said in a news release.
The EPA ordered the company to remove unauthorized materials dumped in the creek and to restore the creek and wetlands to earlier conditions.
"EPA is taking this action to protect Colorado rivers, wetlands and lakes and to provide deterrence against future violations of federal laws designed to protect valuable water resources," said Michael Risner, the agency's legal enforcement director in Denver.
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January 10, 2008
10:23 a.m.
Suggest removal
bookwerm writes:
What the heck were they thinking! this story would have been better if they explained what $$ benefit Schell/Twin Peaks got out of doing this! That is a lot of work for no gain!
Was it to make some land buildable? Kill wetlands? Come on Rocky Mountain News, get on the ball! I could do a better story asleep.
And there should be huge fines, punitive ones, so that others won't pull the same stunt. And in OPEN SPACE? That is even more heinous.