By The Star Staff
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has issued cease-and-desist orders to two residents of the seaside barrio of La Parguera in Lajas for engaging in illegal construction activities and discharging dredged or filled material into United States waters without the necessary Department of the Army (DA) authorization.
The orders, reported by the En Blanco y Negro blog, were directed at Aurora López Soler and Vicente Velázquez. Both orders were dated March 7 and signed by Brandon Bowman, commander and district engineer of the USACE Jacksonville District.
USACE noted that a recent site inspection conducted by staff from the Corps’ Caribbean District on Feb. 21 revealed a pile-supported wooden structure being constructed in navigable waters of the United States without prior DA authorization. The structure consists of a wooden platform measuring approximately nine meters long by 10 meters wide, supported by at least 35 PVC piles filled with concrete. The platform connects to a wooden gangway that extends from the salt flat to the water, across the mangrove fringe, and leads to a dilapidated wooden dock at its seaward end.
The structure is located in the Caribbean Sea within the boundaries of the La Parguera Natural Reserve, some 150 meters west of Club Náutico.
The orders informed the aforementioned individuals of the potential civil and/or criminal consequences for violating the Clean Water Act and the Rivers and Harbors Act.
“Under the Clean Water Act, you may incur civil penalties up to $68,445 per day of violation,” the letters note. “Criminal penalties under the Clean Water Act include fines of up to $50,000 per day of violation, or imprisonment, or both. Violation of the Rivers and Harbors Act could result in criminal penalties (up to $100,000 for individuals and up to $200,000 in fines for corporations) and up to 1-year imprisonment, or both.”
“However, injunctive relief, such as restoration of the area impacted by your activity may also be granted for violations of either the Clean Water Act or the Rivers and Harbors Act,” the letters add.
The orders give the two residents 15 days to provide information concerning the public or private need for the work in question, the beneficial and detrimental effects it will have on the surrounding environment, and any other information.
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