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Honesdale Residents Agree to Pay a Penalty and Restore Wetlands

Release Date: 1/4/2001
Contact Information: Bonnie Smith, (215) 814-5543

Bonnie Smith, (215) 814-5543

HONESDALE, Pa. -- Three Honesdale residents will pay a $15,000 penalty and restore 1.25 acres of wetlands to settle an EPA complaint over alleged unlawful filling of protected wetlands at a riverfront property in this Wayne County municipality.

In a December 1999 complaint, EPA cited Eric Linde of Leeward Construction and property owners Roger Dirlam and Melvin Plunkett for failing to obtain a required permit before discharging fill material in approximately 0.39 acres of wetlands adjacent to the Lackawaxen River in Honesdale.

“Wetlands serve critical environmental and economic functions, including flood control, water filtration, and wildlife habitat,”said Bradley M. Campbell, EPA’s mid-Atlantic regional administrator.

Under the Clean Water Act, an Army Corps of Engineers permit is required before dredged or fill material may be discharged into wetlands areas. The law is designed to prevent the discharge of this material if a practicable alternative exists that is less damaging to the aquatic environment. Permit applicants must show the steps they have taken to avoid destroying wetlands and compensate for unavoidable impacts through restoration or creation of wetlands.

In addition to a penalty, the parties agreed to restore 0.78 acres of wetlands (double the area originally filled) and complete a “supplemental environmental project” to create an additional 0.47 acres of wetlands on the same property. The wetlands restoration and creation will cost an estimated $40,000.

In the settlement papers, the Honesdale residents neither admitted nor denied liability for the alleged violations. They have certified that they are now in compliance with Clean Water Act requirements.