DNR Issues Two Fines For Stream Contamination From Construction Sites

State regulators recently levied fines for construction sites of a housing development and a community college where soil wasn’t properly controlled and eroded into waterways.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources recently fined the Indian Hills Community College Development Corp. $4,000 for soil runoff from the Indian Hills site in Centerville, where a new academic building is under construction.

During a routine inspection of the site in February, several parts of its perimeter soil controls were damaged or failing, according to a recent DNR order.

There were no controls along nearby North First Street, where the DNR noted sediment flowing along the street.

There were also soil controls that were absent or failing to prevent sediment from going into nearby Copper Creek. The extent of the pollution of the creek was unclear in the order.

"Failure to properly manage stormwater runoff from construction sites degrades surface water quality and deposits excess sediment in water channels,” the DNR order said. "Sedimentation of Iowa’s waterways is a serious problem, and regulatory agencies have recognized that uncontrolled runoff is a significant contributor to these problems.”

Company fined for housing site runoff

In a separate case, the DNR also recently fined Interstate Land Properties $6,500 for soil erosion from a residential construction site near Huxley that went into two tributaries of Ballard Creek, according to a separate order.

During a March inspection of the Blue Sky Estates development, the DNR noted nonexistent and failing soil controls and significant erosion in some areas.

A stormwater intake near the center of the site had no means of blocking sediment from entering it, and its outlet into a tributary of the creek was full of sediment. There were also other locations where sediment was flowing into the tributaries.

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