Violators Agree to Pay $12,000 for Wetlands and Shoreland Water Quality Protection Act Violations
Concord, NH – The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (DES), announced today the payment of administrative fines in the amount of $12,000 by The Robert B. Howard Revocable Trust (the “Howard Trust”) and George E. Merrill & Son, Inc (“Merrill Excavating”). The Howard Trust and Merrill Excavating agreed to pay the fines without a formal hearing for violations of the state’s wetlands regulations and the Shoreland Water Quality Protection Act on the Big Island Pond in Derry, N.H. Violations documented on the property included unauthorized alterations to the bed and bank of Island Pond and construction within the protected shoreland without a permit from DES.
The Howard Trust, owners of property located on Conleys Grove Road in Derry, and Merrill Excavating, the contractor hired to perform the work, agreed to an administrative fine in the amount of $15,000, with $3,000 suspended based on their cooperation and response to resolve the violations. The suspended amount is contingent upon the Howard Trust and Merrill Excavating remaining in compliance with the agreement as well as statutes, rules, and permits under the purview of DES for a period of two years.
For more information on this case, contact Collis Adams, DES Wetlands Bureau Administrator, at (603) 271-4054.
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