BOVEY — The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency fined a Bovey man more than $20,000 for filling in a wetland.
The agency stated in a news release that Derek Vekich placed more than 9,000 square feet of unpermitted fill in a wetland near Trout Lake in Itasca County. They also found 250 square feet of sediment from the filled wetland discharged into nearby Trout Lake.
The violations occurred in July 2024. Investigators with the PCA reported Vekich also engaged in unpermitted stormwater construction activities.
Vekich’s penalty is in response to numerous PCA rules violations, including failing to install sediment controls, failing to obtain several permits or develop a stormwater pollution prevention plan.
The agency considers how seriously the violations affected or could have affected the environment when calculating penalties, the release stated. The agency also attempts to recover the economic benefit entities gain by failing to comply with environmental laws in a timely manner.
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