GREENVILLE, Wis. (AP) - Residents of an eastern Wisconsin town are concerned they might have to pay for what county and state officials are calling unauthorized dredging.
Greenville officials were aware that the town’s supervisor, Mike Woods, was going to do work on his farm to resolve sedimentation problems caused by a contractor. But environmental experts said Woods’ farm includes a karst, which impacts nearby residents’ well water. The geological feature forms through the dissolving of soluble rocks like limestone.
County and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources officials said Woods didn’t have necessary permits and dredged the karst, possibly beyond repair.
“The town believed Mr. Woods had all the necessary permits,” town attorney Richard Carlson said. “It had nothing to do with the karst. It had nothing to do with contamination.”
Carlson said the department is threatening heavy fines if corrective action isn’t taken in Greenville, which is about 40 miles southwest of Green Bay.
“We were taken to the woodshed, maybe rightfully so in some aspects, for not being more diligent in terms of what we were getting into,” Carlson said.
It’s unclear how much a permanent remediation plan might cost and who would pay for it, WLUK-TV (https://bit.ly/2pBDbrf ) reported.
Many residents blamed Woods for the problem.
“You are not to be trusted,” Greenville resident Jean Goffard said during the town’s annual meeting Tuesday. “You’re not to be believed. You’re not worthy of being on Greenville’s town board.”
Some residents said they’d like someone independent from the town board making decisions on the issue.
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Information from: WLUK-TV, https://www.fox11online.com
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