STATE OF INDIANA

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BEFORE THE INDIANA DEPARTMENT

 

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SS:

OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

COUNTY OF MARION

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COMMISSIONER OF THE DEPARTMENT

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OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT,

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Complainant,

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v.

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CASE NO.  2002-11543-W

 

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PERRY CRUSE,

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FOX RUN NORTH and SOUTH SUBDIVISIONS,

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Respondent.

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NOTICE AND ORDER OF THE

COMMISSIONER OF THE

DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

 

VIA CERTIFIED MAIL No. ________________________

 

 

To:

Mr. Perry Cruse

 

3310 Lincoln Hill Road

 

Martinsville, IN 46151

 

This Notice and Order of the Commissioner of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management ("Order") is issued against Perry Cruse (“Respondent”) pursuant to IC 13-30-3-4, IC 13-30-3-10, and IC 13-30-3-11, and is based on violations of environmental rules and statutes found during an investigation conducted by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (“IDEM”).  Specifically, the investigation revealed that the Respondent violated 327 IAC 15-5-7, IC 13-18-4-5, IC 13-30-2-1, 327 IAC 2-1-2(1), 327 IAC 2-1-6(a)(1), and 327 IAC 5-2-2, as specified below:

FINDINGS OF VIOLATION

 

1.                  Complainant is the Commissioner of IDEM, a department of the State of Indiana created by IC 13-13-1-1.

 

2.                  Respondent is the developer and operator of a project area named Fox Run North and South Subdivisions, located in Morgan County near the Mapleturn Road and Lincoln Hill Road intersection, approximately 3 miles northeast of Martinsville, Indiana (“the Site”).

 

3.                  IDEM has jurisdiction over the parties and subject matter of this action.

 

4.                  All references in these Findings of Violation to 327 IAC 15-5 and its various parts and subparts are to the version in effect prior to the rule change effective on November 26, 2003.

 

5.                  Pursuant to 327 IAC 15-5-7(b), the following requirements shall be met on all sites during the period when active land disturbing activities occur:

 

a.                  Sediment-laden water shall be detained on-site by erosion control practices that minimize sedimentation in the receiving stream.

b.                  Appropriate measures shall be taken to minimize or eliminate wastes or unused building materials being carried from the site by run-off.

c.                  Sediment tracked from the site onto public or private roadways shall be minimized.

d.                  Public and private roadways shall be kept clear of accumulated sediment.

e.                  All on-site storm drains shall be protected against sedimentation by appropriate and acceptable methods.

f.                    Storm water drainage from adjacent areas that naturally pass through the site shall either be diverted from disturbed areas or the existing channel must be protected or improved to prevent erosion and sedimentation from occurring.

g.                  Run-off from a disturbed area shall be controlled by either appropriate vegetative practices, the implementation of an erosion control plan that includes appropriate erosion control measures, or both.

 

6.                  Pursuant to 327 IAC 15-5-7(c), during the period of construction at the Site, all erosion control measures necessary to meet the requirements of this rule shall be maintained by the operator.

 

7.                  Site inspections conducted by representatives of IDEM, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, and/or the Morgan County Soil and Water Conservation District between October 31, 2001 and June 28, 2002, revealed that the Respondent failed to implement and maintain erosion control measures at the Site necessary to satisfy the requirements of 327 IAC 15-5-7(b), in violation of 327 IAC 15-5-7(b) and (c).

 

8.                  Pursuant to IC 13-18-4-5, it is unlawful for any person to throw, run, drain, or otherwise dispose into any of the streams or waters of Indiana; or cause, permit, or suffer to be thrown, run, drained, allowed to seep, or otherwise disposed into any waters; any organic or inorganic matter that causes or contributes to a polluted condition of any waters, as determined by a rule of the board adopted under IC 13-18-4-1 and IC 13-18-4-3.

 

9.                  Pursuant to IC 13-30-2-1, it is unlawful for any person to discharge, emit, cause, allow, or threaten to discharge, emit, cause, or allow any contaminant or waste, including any noxious odor, either alone or in combination with contaminants from other sources into the environment in any form that causes or would cause pollution that violates or would violate rules, standards, or discharge or emission requirements adopted by the appropriate board under the environmental management laws.

 

10.             Pursuant to 327 IAC 2-1-2(1), for all waters of the state, existing beneficial uses shall be maintained and protected.  No degradation of water quality shall be permitted which would interfere with or become injurious to existing and potential uses.

 

11.             Pursuant to 327 IAC 2-1-6(a)(1):

All waters at all times and at all places, including the mixing zone, shall meet the minimum conditions of being free from substances, materials, floating debris, oil, or scum attributable to municipal, industrial, agricultural, and other land use practices, or other discharges:

 

(a)               that will settle to form putrescent or otherwise objectionable deposits;

 

(b)               that are in amounts sufficient to be unsightly or deleterious;

 

(c)               that produce color, visible oil sheen, odor, or other conditions in such degree as to create a nuisance;

 

(d)               which are in amounts sufficient to be acutely toxic to, or to otherwise severely injure or kill aquatic life, other animals, plants, or humans; or

 

(e)               which are in concentrations or combinations that will cause or contribute to the growth of aquatic plants or algae to such degree as to create a nuisance, be unsightly, or otherwise impair the designated uses.

 

12.             Pursuant to 327 IAC 5-2-2, any discharge of pollutants into waters of the state as a point source discharge, except for exclusions contained in 327 IAC 5-2-4, is prohibited unless in conformity with a valid National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (“NPDES”) permit obtained prior to the discharge.

 

13.             On October 31, 2001, and February 19, 2002, Army Corps of Engineers (“ACE”) staff conducted inspections at the Site, noting that the Respondent had discharged approximately 109 cubic yards of fill material, affecting 2,422 linear feet of an unnamed tributary to Grassy Creek, a water of the state, in the construction of three dams, without a permit from the ACE, and without a Section 401 Water Quality Certification from IDEM. The unpermitted discharge of fill material into waters of the state is in violation of IC 13-18-4-5, IC 13-30-2-1, 327 IAC 2-1-2(1), 327 IAC 2-1-6(a)(1), and 327 IAC 5-2-2.

 

14.             An application for Section 401 Water Quality Certification, which included a proposed mitigation plan, was submitted by the Respondent for the construction project referenced in Paragraph No. 13 above (designated as IDEM Project No. 2002-100-55-AJB-B) on June 16, 2004.  In a correspondence dated November 22, 2004, IDEM granted a Section 401 Water Quality Certification to the Respondent, subject to the “General” and “Project-specific” conditions contained therein, for IDEM Project No. 2002-100-55-AJB-B.

 

15.             On August 22, 2002, a Notice of Violation was issued, pursuant to IC 13-30-3-3 to the Respondent for the violations cited above.  The Respondent received this Notice of Violation on August 26, 2002.

 

16.             The Notice of Violation contained an offer to enter into an Agreed Order in accordance with IC 13-30-3-3.  IDEM subsequently provided a proposed Agreed Order to the Respondent.

 

17.             More than 60 days have elapsed since Respondent was offered the opportunity to enter into an Agreed Order.

 

18.             The Respondent has not entered into an Agreed Order resolving the violations cited above.

 

19.             IDEM is aware that Respondent has filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 7 of the United States bankruptcy code.  Pursuant to 11 U.S.C. 362 (b)(4), during the pendency of the bankruptcy proceeding, IDEM is entitled to exercise its regulatory authority to obtain compliance with environmental laws.  With respect to Respondent, this Order is not an attempt to enforce a monetary judgment, but rather, an effort by IDEM to procure compliance with environmental laws, and is thus consistent with 11 U.S.C. 362 (b)(4).

ORDER

 

1.                  The Respondent shall, upon the Effective Date of this Order, maintain full compliance with all applicable administrative rules and statutes, including IC 13-18-4-5, IC 13-30-2-1, 327 IAC 2-1-2(1), 327 IAC 2-1-6(a)(1), 327 IAC 5-2-2, and 327 IAC 15-5-7.

 

2.                  Upon the Effective Date, the Respondent shall immediately begin implementation of the approved Mitigation Plan (“MP”) and shall adhere to the specific milestone dates of the schedule contained therein.  Additionally, the Respondent shall adhere to the “General” and “Project-specific” conditions contained in the November 22, 2004, correspondence from IDEM to Respondent, granting a Section 401 Water Quality Certification to Respondent for IDEM Project No. 2002-100-55-AJP-B, attached hereto and incorporated by reference as “Attachment A”.

 

3.                  Upon completion of each action contained in the approved MP, the Respondent shall submit notification of completion of the action to IDEM within 30 days.  The notification shall include a description of the action completed, and the date it was completed.

 

4.                  In the event that IDEM determines that the success criteria contained in the approved MP are not fully achieved at the conclusion of the mitigation area monitoring provided for by the approved MP, the Respondent shall, within 60 days of receipt of notification from IDEM that success criteria are not fully achieved, develop and submit to IDEM, for approval, an additional plan (“Action Plan”) that includes either a description of corrective actions that will be taken in order to fully achieve the success criteria, along with an implementation and completion schedule, or a new mitigation plan that includes, to the extent necessary, the provisions of the original MP, along with an implementation and completion schedule.

 

5.                  The Action Plan shall be subject to the approval of IDEM.  If the Action Plan is deemed inadequate by IDEM, a revised Action Plan shall be submitted within 15 days of receipt of notice from IDEM of the inadequacies thereof. If, after submission of the first revised Action Plan, IDEM still finds the Action Plan to be inadequate, then IDEM will request further modification of the Action Plan as necessary to meet IDEM’s requirements, and require re-submittal of the Action Plan by a specific date.  If the subsequently submitted second revised Action Plan does not meet IDEM’s approval, IDEM will suggest specific modifications to be made to the Action Plan and require re-submittal by a specific date.  If, by the specified date, the Respondent does not submit a third revised Action Plan that incorporates the IDEM-suggested modifications or submit an alternative adequate Action Plan, as determined by IDEM, the IDEM-suggested modifications will be deemed incorporated into the Action Plan.

 

6.                  The Action Plan shall, upon approval by IDEM’s Water Quality Standards Section, be incorporated into this Agreed Order and shall be deemed an enforceable part thereof.  The Respondent, upon receipt of written approval from IDEM, shall immediately implement the approved Action Plan and adhere to the milestone dates contained therein.

 

7.                  Upon completion of each action contained in the approved Action Plan, the Respondent shall submit notification of completion of the action to IDEM.  The notification shall include a description of the action completed, and the date it was completed.

 

8.                  All submittals required by this Order, unless notified otherwise in writing, shall be sent to:

 

Dave Knox

Office of Enforcement

Indiana Department of Environmental Management

Mail Code 60-02

100 North Senate Avenue

Indianapolis, IN 46204-2251

 

9.                  This Order shall apply to and be binding upon the Respondent, its successors and  assigns. No change in ownership, corporate, or partnership status of the Respondent shall in any way alter its status or responsibilities under this Order.

EFFECTIVE DATE OF ORDER

 

Pursuant to IC 13-30-3-5, this Order takes effect 20 days following receipt unless you request review of this Order, before the twentieth day after receipt, by filing a written request for review with the Office of Environmental Adjudication, and serving a copy of the request for review upon the Commissioner of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.  You may request that the Office of Environmental Adjudication conduct a hearing to review this Order, under IC 4-21.5, in its entirety, or you may limit your request for review to specific findings and/or orders contained in this Order.  Requests for review must be submitted to the Office of Environmental Adjudication and the Commissioner of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management at the following addresses:

 

Director

Commissioner

Office of Environmental Adjudication

IDEM

Indiana Government Center North

Indiana Government Center North

Room 1049

Mail Code 50-01

100 North Senate Avenue

100 North Senate Avenue

Indianapolis, Indiana 46204-2251

Indianapolis, Indiana 46204-2251

 

Failure to properly submit a request for review, before the twentieth day following receipt of this Order of the Commissioner, waives your right to administrative review of this Order and your right to judicial review of the Order.  The petition for administrative review must contain the following information:

 

1.                  Name, address, and telephone number of each person filing the petition.

2.                  Identification of the interest of each petitioner in the subject of the petition.

3.                  Statement of facts demonstrating that the petitioner is:

A.                 a person to whom the order is directed;

B.                 aggrieved or adversely affected by the order; or

C.                entitled to review under any law.

4.                  Statement with particularity of the legal issues proposed for consideration in the proceedings.

 

The petition for administrative review should also contain the following information:

 

1.                  Identification of any persons represented by the person making the request.

2.                  Statement identifying the person against whom administrative review is sought.

3.                  A copy of the notice of the commissioner’s action issued by the department of environmental management which is the basis of the petition for administrative review.

4.                  Statement indicating the identification of petitioner’s attorney or other representative.

 

If you have procedural or scheduling questions regarding your request for review you may contact the Office of Environmental Adjudication at (317) 232-8591.

 

Dated at Indianapolis, Indiana this _____ day of __________, 2005.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Signed 12/19/05

 

Thomas W. Easterly

 

Commissioner

 

 

cc:

U.S. EPA, Region 5, Office of Water

 

Morgan County Soil and Water Conservation District

 

Indiana Department of Natural Resources

 

Larry J. Kane

 

http://www.state.in.us/idem

 

ATTACHMENT A

 

November 22, 2004, correspondence from IDEM, granting Section 401 Water Quality Certification to the Respondent for IDEM Project No. 2002-100-55-AJP-B