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The Town Meeting



Local News

PUBLISHED: Thursday, March 27, 2008
DEQ: Wetlands must be restored



ELK RAPIDS - Wetlands cleared for a farm access road off of Williams Drive in Elk Rapids Township must be restored, according to a letter sent from the Department of Environmental Quality to Dorance Amos, one of the property owners.

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An alternative to the Williams Drive access road exists, DEQ District Representative David Jentoft wrote in the March 12 letter, and Amos has not provided enough evidence proving otherwise.

"It has not been shown that accessing the property from Cairn Highway is not a feasible and prudent alternative," Jentoft wrote.

In order to bring the site into compliance with Part 303 of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, the wetlands must be resotered, Jentoft said, giving a deadline of June 1, 2008. The restoration would include removing the culvert on site and filling material placed in the wetland, in addition to replacing the original dark organic soils.

Due to other access points on the property, the DEQ disagreed with Amos that a agricultural exemption existed for the road.

"We believe that adequate access is currently available should you wish to begin actively farming some, or all of the property," Jentoft wrote. "This position applies whether the land is used for farming, or whether at some point it was split/sold for development purposes."

Amos can apply for a permit to construct the access road after the wetland restoration has been completed. If that were to happen, a public hearing could be held and, if the application was denied, Amos would have the right to an administrative appeal. -Compiled by Town Meeting Editor Brian Keilen





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