North Reading Company Penalized $9,000 for Damage to Wetlands
W.S. Construction agrees to restore area damaged by heavy equipment and grading

A North Reading contractor, W.S. Construction, Inc., has been penalized $9,000 and agreed to restore approximately 3,500 square feet of bordering vegetated wetland after the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) identified the damage during a site inspection at 100 Main Street in North Reading. 

The damage was initially identified using aerial surveillance, a tool that MassDEP has used across the state in recent years in an effort to bring to light previously hidden wetlands destruction done without approval. MassDEP later conducted an on-site inspection to confirm the data. 

"The destruction of wetlands, whether it is done willfully or accidentally, is a matter of public concern because these are resource areas that serve not only as flood or stormwater control and filtering groundwater, but as habitat for wildlife, as well as providing the food and nutrients for a wide variety of species," said Richard Chalpin, director of MassDEP's Northeast Regional Office in Wilmington.     

Approximately 3,500 square feet of bordering vegetated wetland had been altered as the result of wood-chips and other material stockpiled.  The company contends a former tenant operated a landscaping business from the site, but after the tenant departed, W.S. Construction was found to be working on the site using heavy equipment. None of the company's activity or the stockpiling, however, was conducted with any authorization or permit. 

The company has now agreed to install erosion control devices, restore the area based on approval of plans and conduct long-term monitoring. MassDEP has agreed to suspend $3,500 pending full compliance as of October 13, 2013.

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