JOPPA, MD—The Maryland Department of the Environment, on behalf of the Attorney General, has filed a complaint against a developer, homebuilder, and contractor for multiple water pollution violations at the Ridgely’s Reserve development in Harford County.

The complaint (PDF), filed Friday in Harford County Circuit Court, alleges that the Ridgely’s Reserve development and its associated sewer line project caused “numerous violations” of state sediment pollution and nontidal wetlands laws.

Ridgely’s Reserve is a home development built on 121 acres of land in the Joppa area of Harford County. The project includes a dam built on the Gunpowder River to create a reservoir for stormwater. The Maryland Department of the Environment says that the construction of the Ridgely’s Reserve sewer line project has caused sediment-laden water to flow downstream from Foster Branch to the Gunpowder River.

The state has inspected the site more than 30 times and says the violations have persisted. The complaint says that the sediment pollution can have dire consequences for the aquatic environment, including harming the quality of the water and disrupting the habitat of submerged aquatic vegetation.

“Inspection after inspection has documented problems with this project, and this pollution has caused real harm to our waterways,” said Maryland Department of the Environment Secretary Serena McIlwain. “It is past time for this pollution to stop. We are asking the court to not only impose a financial penalty, but also require that the affected waterways be restored.”

The complaint seeks a civil penalty of up to $25,000 per violation. The developers are also named in the complaint and the state is seeking an order to compel them to stop polluting the waterways and to restore the damaged wetlands.

“Protecting Maryland’s natural resources is a responsibility I take very seriously. The repeated violations at Ridgely’s Reserve demonstrate a blatant disregard for our environmental laws and the welfare of Marylanders,” said Attorney General Anthony Brown. “The damage that has already been done needs to be addressed so the waterways around this community are made whole and healthy again while those responsible for the pollution answer for their actions in court.”

Defendants named in the action include Forestar (USA) Real Estate Group, Inc., the developer of the project; D.R. Horton, Inc., homebuilder for the site; and Kinsley Construction, LLC, a contractor for the project.

This article was written with the assistance of AI and reviewed by a human editor.

Photo by Sora Shimazaki from Pexels