KITSAP COUNTY, Wash. — The Washington State Department of Ecology has ordered a contractor to stop work in a Port Orchard neighborhood for causing "significant" environmental damage to nearby wetlands.
The department also fined the contractor, Stetson Heights, LLC., $202,500 for the damage caused to the wetlands.
Cathie Grant, a homeowner in Port Orchard, said her driveway began to repeatedly flood shortly after development of the 100-acre property began.
Grant has lived next to the property for over 15 years and said she hasn't seen water over her driveway before last year.
“They need to be fined,” said Grant. “They shouldn’t have done what they done without the proper drainage in place."
Grant said she complained to the city, county, and state about the flooding.
In July of 2018, Ecology Field Inspector Evan Dobrowski issued several violations to Stetson Heights for failing to put in erosion control measures, like grass, straw or matting in place.
Dobrowski said the company failed to respond to the violations.
“The reaction has largely been ‘Oh yes. We’ll get this done.’ The problem is, the follow through was not there,” said Dobrowski.
Fall and winter rains caused erosion on the property, causing silt to get into two nearby creeks, Dobrowski said.
Stetson Heights site manager Robert Terhune said the company will appeal the fine, claiming the state is blowing the environmental impact out of proportion.
“It’s just not as severe as Ecology is stating,” said Terhune.
Grant says Stetson Heights has reimbursed her for what she spent on pumps last year. She said she believes they have taken measures to prevent this from happening in the future, but "they need to be held accountable."
