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EPA Settles Wetlands Complaint in West Virginia Damaged Stream Bed to Be Restored

Release Date: 7/6/2000
Contact Information: Bonnie Smith (215) 814-5543

Bonnie Smith, 215-814-5543

CIRCLEVILLE, W.Va. - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced that it has settled its complaint against Raymond E. Phares for unlawfully dredging a portion of a Potomac River tributary in Pendleton County, West Virginia.

“Environmental enforcement protects our valuable wetlands. EPA will continue to use enforcement, when necessary, to preserve this important natural resource,” said Bradley Campbell, EPA’s administrator for the mid-Atlantic region.

In August 1999, EPA cited Mr. Phares for channeling about 2000 feet of the North Fork of the Potomac’s South Branch without a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Mr. Phares, who performed this work on behalf of three property owners, has agreed to complete a $21,000 project to restore the damaged stream bed.

Under the Clean Water Act, a Corps of Engineers permit is required before this type of dredging is performed. The permits are required to minimize adverse environmental impacts to the aquatic environment caused by dredging. Wetlands are among the most fertile, natural ecosystems in the world. They provide food, shelter, and breeding grounds for fish and shellfish, mammals, waterfowl and other migratory birds. They also absorb flood waters, like a natural sponge collecting the overflow.