BURRILLVILLE – The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management Office of Compliance and Inspection has fined the owner of a 3.4 acre Burrillville property $20,000 for allegedly altering wetlands without a permit.
John Pereira has been issued a cease and desist order for activities on his property at 145 Black Hut Road, and told to restore swamp land on the lot to its original state by Friday. Sept. 30.
According to a Notice of Violation filed with the Burrillville Town Clerk, the property owner has altered at least 23,500 square feet of freshwater wetlands through clearing, stumping, filing, grading and excavating of a swamp without a permit. Another 12,500 feet of wetlands were reportedly altered through activities including building a retaining wall within the perimeter of the floodplain, according to RIDEM.
The agency became aware of activity at the property during an inspection in March, and according to the NOV, issued a written order to immediately halt the activity in April after an inspector noted that more work had been done. Periera, who purchased the lot last September from Kenneth and Shelley Milligan for $370,000, refused to sign the order, according to the inspector.
“The swamp and floodplain on the property were largely undisturbed at the time the respondent acquired the property,” the notice states.
In June, a RIDEM inspector observed a, “for sale by owner,” sign on the property and in July, the agency received a letter in which the owner reportedly agreed to comply with RIDEM’s order, but said he would not be able to do so in time for the September deadline. According to the NOV, however, the homeowner has not followed the process to request a meeting to discuss alternatives.
To resolve the violation, Periera has been ordered to complete restoration requirements, removing unauthorized fill and excavating an additional six inches of soil, according to the notice. He must install erosion controls, put in high-organic plantable soil and seeding, and allow freshwater wetlands to revert to a natural/wild condition. The owner must retain the services of a qualified wetland consultant, and RIDEM must inspect and approve each stage of restoration.
Periera has also been ordered to pay a penalty of $20,000 for the violations within 30 days of the notice, sent Friday, August 12.
That’s great, somebody dropped a dime on this guy! Lol! Unreal, how people are just so irresponsible. Entitlement just because they “own” it, they feel they can do whatever they they want to, that rules and laws do not apply with any repercussions. Simple: you want to do something, ask questions, find out if permits are needed, follow the rules, develop a plan, obtain a permit, do the work. They refused to sign the order; just shows they’re complete lack of acceptance of any responsibility or admittance that they screwed up. They can’t do the work in the time frame issued in the notice? Come on! They did the work to alter the wetland and flood plain in short time; just fix it!