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Developer to pay $200K for illegally draining wetlands
D.C. officials have announced a settlement after accusing a developer of violating multiple environmental laws and drying out precious, protected wetlands, and new tonight that company is pushing back. FOX 5’s Sydney Persing is live in Northeast D.C. tonight near the Anacostia River with the details.
WASHINGTON - D.C. officials have announced a settlement after accusing a developer of violating multiple environmental laws and drying out precious protected wetlands, and now, that company is pushing back.
What we know:
The District claims it has evidence that suggests developers building an assisted living facility was badly and illegally damaging protected wetlands here in Ward 7 claims that the developer still denies.
D.C. says the protected wetlands off the Anacostia looked completely different before construction started on an assisted living facility.
What they're saying:
"It’s heartbreaking, it was such a nice green, lush habitat and it’s just dry and brown and baked out at the end of that," said Trey Sherard with the Anacostia riverkeepers.
The Office of the Attorney General alleges in a newly settled case that the owners and developers of the Residences at Kenilworth Park violated multiple environmental laws during construction by repeatedly discharging pollutants into D.C. waters, illegally installing more than 200 groundwater wells and extracting approximately three gallons of water per day from the protected wetlands.
"Which is tons and tons and tons of water," Sherard said.
Sherard is a riverkeeper with the Anacostia riverkeepers, a non-profit that works to protect the Anacostia.
"This was disastrous for wildlife, right? They wiped out who knows how many individuals of really rare species by taking out their habitat," he said.
Dig deeper:
In the settlement, RKP maintains it denies the allegations and in a statement to FOX 5 insisted it complied with city approved environmental mitigation plans and said they were "consistent with RKP’s continuing investment in Ward 7, RKP responsibly decided to resolve the allegations and successfully reached a settlement."
They also provided their own before and after photos.
"That's really disappointing, it’s really frustrating and we’re really glad to see a settlement come out of this," said Sherard.
Per the settlement announced today by D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb, the owners of that property will pay $200,000 and permanently protect the remaining wetlands on its property.