Landowner working to fix environmental damage to wetland

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, May 29, 2018

EVERETT — A property owner cited over a diverted stream and cleared wetland has started cooperating with Snohomish County to repair the environmental damage.

County officials called the unpermitted activity on the 1.4-acre parcel one of the most egregious code violations in recent memory. They said workers continued to carry out unauthorized clearing, grading and fill work even after a code-enforcement officer posted stop-work orders at the property along Center Road, near Beverly Park Road. State and federal agencies have gotten involved in the case as well.

“Progress has been made to address the immediate concerns of the county,” said Josh Dugan, a manager in the county planning department. “It’s far from a finished product, but there has been progress made.”

The county sued a Lynnwood-area landowner and a trucking company May 11 to stop further damage. County and state biologists later toured the site with the owners’ permission. The owner said he cleared small trees and bushes from the land, as well as piles of trash, to discourage homeless people from staying there.

Since then, the owner has taken steps to prevent erosion, such as placing straw over the bare ground and covering dirt mounds with plastic, Dugan said last week. A long-term erosion-control plan appears to be in the works.

The state Department of Fish & Wildlife reported issuing permits to stabilize the site.

The violation arose not long after a memorable code-enforcement case in Maltby. In August, the county sued after heavy equipment crews cleared most of a 10-acre property in preparation for a 100,000-square-foot truck factory for OSW Equipment & Repair. Work resumed on that site this year, after fines, penalties and required permitting work.

Lizz Giordano contributed to this report.

Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465; nhaglund@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @NWhaglund.