An Osage County, Mo., landowner has agreed to pay a $24,500 civil penalty to the United States for performing unpermitted dredge and fill activities that impacted approximately 1,490 feet of Baileys Creek.
According to an administrative consent agreement filed by EPA Region 7 in Kansas City, Kan., Ronald Roche, of St. Louis, Mo., placed gravel and other fill material into the central Missouri creek in October 2008 without first obtaining a proper permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as required by the federal Clean Water Act.
The practice of pushing gravel or sediment up against stream banks in an attempt to stabilize them is only a temporary fix that further degrades stream habitat and water quality. Gravel pushing destroys aquatic habitat and increases sediment in streams, leading to reduced water quality. It also can have negative downstream impacts, such as increased bank erosion and flooding, as a result of increased stream velocity.
In settlement of the matter, and in addition to payment of the civil penalty, Roche has agreed to perform restoration work on the impacted site to compensate for lost stream functions.
(Kansas City, Kan., Oct. 3, 2011) – Source Environmental Protection Agency
