The Environmental Protection Agency has fined an Ellsworth construction company for violating the Clean Water Act, and part of the settlement includes a substantial contribution to Acadia National Park to control invasive species.
Ray Builders Inc. was penalized after it discharged fill material into nearly four acres of wetlands while developing a 42-lot subdivision between 1989 and 2003, according to the Bangor Daily News . The EPA fined the company $16,017 and required it give the Acadia park $87,154 to fund a three-year program to curb invasive species at Great Meadow, a 115-acre freshwater wetland.
As part of the agreement, Robert Ray, owner of Ray Builders, recently donated 17 acres near downtown Ellsworth as a conservation easement to offset the wetlands damage, the paper reported.
