A St. Louis, Missouri couple with property in Camden will pay more than $215,200 after violating shoreland zoning laws by cutting down trees and applying herbicides on a neighbor’s property that’s near a local beach.
Under a consent agreement with the town, Arthur and Amelia Bond must pay $180,000 as a penalty for the violations, as well as an estimated $30,700 for environmental testing and monitoring, according to Camden Planning and Development Director Jeremy Martin. They’ll also be liable for the costs of potential contamination found on town property.
They have an additional settlement with the neighbor whose land they worked on, Lisa Gorman, and a consent agreement with the state Board of Pesticide Control. The latter agreement requires them to pay $4,500 for unlawful application of the herbicide Tebuthiuron.
The settlement comes after a year-long investigation into the actions of the Bonds, who have a property at 1 Metcalf Road and committed the reported violations at neighboring 3 Metcalf Road, which is near the town’s Laite Memorial Beach, Martin said in a press release.
“The Town of Camden is committed to protecting the environment and takes these types of violations very seriously, as demonstrated by the significant financial penalty,” Martin said.
Because of the application of the herbicide, the town had to remove and dispose of the contaminated soils, trees and plants. The town also had to implement a remediation plan that required bringing in new soil and vegetation.
The town hired an environmental engineering company to conduct monitoring and test groundwater at and around Laite Memorial Beach starting Dec. 4, according to the release.
The Bonds admitted responsibility for the herbicide application and have been working with the town, Martin said. A message seeking comment from their attorney was not immediately returned.
