The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) has fined Rutland-based Bear Hill Estates, LLC $6,000  after finding the company violated the Wetlands Protection Act during construction of the Bear Hill Estates subdivision in Rutland.

The violations were uncovered during a July 2011 inspection of the site in which MassDEP determined that inadequate erosion and sedimentation controls had altered bordering vegetative wetlands and a stream on the property. In August 2011, MassDEP required that the owners stabilize the site, and hire a wetlands scientist to assess the impact and submit a remediation plan to MassDEP for approval.

The developers have now agreed to remove sediment from the wetlands and complete construction of stormwater diversion structures, and to monitor stormwater discharges to adjacent wetlands areas. 

"Those undertaking construction projects in areas adjacent to wetland resources must comply with state and local permits that are designed to protect those resources," warned Martin Suuberg, director of MassDEP’s Central Regional Office in Worcester. "Failure to comply can result in monetary penalties and the need for remedial work."