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.
-
Contributed/briandjan607 via FlickrPositions include the 7th and 8th congressional districts in Northern MN. The board provides leadership and coordination on environmental issues, and chances for public engagement. -
Contributed/University of MinnesotaResearchers tested 10 fungi from MN to assess for their ability to kill the pests when used in traps. The method may be useful in hard-to-access forests in Northern Minnesota. -
Lorie Shaull/KAXEThe findings offer some hope that the decades-long decline of teen mental health, especially worsened in the 2022 survey amid the COVID-19 pandemic, could be turning around. -
Contributed/Google MapsMnDOT bridge engineers are making this temporary change to safely accommodate heavy timber truck traffic during the winter months. -
Contributed/Minnesota Pollution Control AgencySome areas are facing emerging risks for nutrient levels and E. coli in the Mississippi River basin watershed encompassing parts of Becker, Otter Tail, Todd and Wadena counties. -
Contributed/Michelle Griffith via Minnesota ReformerMike Lindell enters a crowded field of GOP candidates who believe they’re best able to beat Gov. Tim Walz, who is running for a third term next year. -
Contributed/Thor Edvardsen via FlickrOf the $12 billion announced by the USDA for a new relief package for farmers, $11 billion will go to commodity crop producers, and $1 billion will go to fruit and vegetable producers. -
Heidi Holtan/KAXEThe pause comes as the state grapples with what prosecutors call the largest public services scandal in history, with $218 million in fraud uncovered to date. -
Plus: An agricultural policy expert in Minnesota says the new bailout package for farms is a temporary fix; and MnDOT's "Name a Snowplow" contest returns for its sixth year. -
Plus: As Pulsar Helium hopes to mine what may be the largest concentration of helium in the world, other companies are also exploring the potential for naturally forming hydrogen on the Iron Range.
