The following press release was published by the US EPA on Sept. 29. It is reproduced in full below.
LENEXA, KAN. - (SEPT. 29, 2021) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reached settlement agreements with Eagle 1968 LC and Kings Construction Co. Inc. to resolve alleged violations of the federal Clean Water Act (CWA) at the Jayhawk Club golf course in Lawrence, Kansas.
In the settlement documents, EPA alleged that the companies discharged pollutants into approximately 7,000 feet of streams by placing fill material into the streams and grading over 256 acres of land as part of a renovation of the former Alvamar Country Club, now the Jayhawk Club, in Lawrence. EPA also says that the companies did the work without obtaining the required CWA permits. Eagle 1968 LC owns the property and hired Kings Construction Co. Inc. to do grading and excavation work at the site.
Under the terms of settlement, the companies also agreed to restore streams at the site; conserve restored portions of the site; and purchase “mitigation bank” credits at a local stream and wetland preserve at a cost of approximately $300,000. The companies will also pay civil penalties totaling over $84,000.
“This settlement represents a win for the environment,” said Diane Huffman, acting director of EPA Region 7’s Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Division. “These companies’ restoration and conservation efforts will protect local waters, and the civil penalties will deter future noncompliance with the Clean Water Act.”
Under the CWA, parties are required to obtain permits if they plan to fill in streams and wetlands or if they propose to disturb over an acre of land adjacent to waters. Failure to obtain permits may result in an enforcement action by EPA.
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Learn more about EPA’s enforcement of the CWA at: www.epa.gov/enforcement/water-enforcement
Learn more about EPA Region 7: www.epa.gov/aboutepa/epa-region-7-midwest
Source: US EPA
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