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Methuen Resident Penalized $10,225; Agrees to Restore Altered Wetlands
MassDEP aerial surveillance tool reveals unauthorized alterations
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) has penalized a Methuen resident, Lisa M. Pappalardo, of 221 Tyler Street, for the unauthorized alteration of a wetlands resource area. The violations were first brought to light using aerial surveillance, a tool that has allowed MassDEP to locate valuable resource areas that were altered or destroyed without approval.
On July 13, 2007, MassDEP inspected the site where an equestrian center is operating and confirmed that 2,086 of bordering vegetated wetlands (BVW) had been filled and graded. In addition to placing a horse paddocks on the filled area, an indoor riding arena (65 x 120 feet in diameter) was constructed in the buffer zone to the BVW.
MassDEP determined that the area was filled in 2003 with wood chips, measuring, in parts, up to 12 feet in depth. Pappalardo conducted the work without required approval from the Methuen Conservation Commission.
In the wake of that inspection, Pappalardo subsequently moved to submit a restoration plan to MassDEP for the area that was altered and that plan was subsequently approved on November 7, 2007.
"Restoration of altered land after the fact is a last resort, and no one's preferred method, but residents have to realize these resource areas serve a vital public function and if you wish to work in or around the resource area, you need to provide the local conservation commission a written request or notice - and follow through on obtaining approval,' said Richard Chalpin director of MassDEP's Northeast Office in Wilmington.
Pappalardo has agreed to submit yearly monitoring reports in order to verify the long-term viability of the restored area. MassDEP has agreed to suspend $8,225 of the penalty pending full compliance.
MassDEP is responsible for ensuring clean air and water, safe management and recycling of solid and hazardous wastes, timely cleanup of hazardous waste sites and spills, and the preservation of wetlands and coastal resources.
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