The Environmental Protection Agency has ordered two Sumner residents to remove fill material and restore the wetlands on their property.

The EPA alleges Michael and Stacey Ota violated the Clean Water Act in 2005 when they placed fill material into four acres of wetlands without the required permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Michael Ota previously filled wetlands in violation of the Clean Water Act. In 1996, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers required him to restore wetlands at this property after approximately 35 acres of wetlands were cleared and filled without the necessary permits. Ota voluntarily complied with the Corps of Engineers by removing the fill and restoring the wetlands.

Wetlands are protected in part because they are essential for fish and other aquatic life survival, stated Tom Eaton, director of EPA’s Washington Operations Office, in a press release.

“Landowners who plan to work in wetlands or other aquatic resources must obtain the right permits and follow the requirements to protect these valuable resources,” Eaton said.

The Otas have developed a wetland restoration plan which will restore much of the site to a forested wetland. The EPA is ordering the Otas to perform the restoration work by Nov. 30 and perform monitoring at the site until 2019.

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