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Ciccone Excavating Inc. Settles EPA Complaint Alleging Wetlands Violations in Palmyra

Release Date: 4/25/2002
Contact Information: Bonnie Smith, (215) 814-5543

Bonnie Smith, (215) 814-5543

PHILADELPHIA – Ciccone Excavating, Inc. has agreed to pay a $5,500 penalty to settle an U.S. Environmental Protection Agency complaint alleging that the company unlawfully filled protected wetlands in Palmyra Township, Pike County, Pa.

“Enforcement of wetland protections in Pennsylvania’s Pocono region is important, because the wetlands in this area – although often small -- are rapidly being lost through development,” said Thomas Voltaggio, U.S. EPA’s mid-Atlantic deputy regional administrator.

In a January 2001 complaint, EPA alleged that the Honesdale, Pa.-based excavating company discharged fill material into wetlands without a permit. The alleged violations began in April 2000 at a home construction site and involved wetlands adjacent to Mainses Pond, a headwater of Blooming Grove Creek and the Lackawaxen River.

Under the Clean Water Act, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit is required before dredged or fill material may be discharged into wetlands areas. The permit requirement is designed to minimize the destruction of wetlands, which serve a number of critical environmental and economic functions -- including flood control, water filtration, and wildlife habitat.

For more information about wetlands and permitting requirements, check out https://www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/ Compliance assistance to landowners is also available at https://www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/landasst/html.