Must Pay an Additional $500,000 for Restoration
Contractor Thomas Staben, owner of TA Staben, Inc. was fined $225,000 for illegally dumping 40,000 cubic yards of imported material into Calleguas Creek.
In 2005-2006, Staben dumped material into several areas of Calleguas Creek without the required Clean Water Act (CWA) permit, blatantly ignoring warnings from the US Army Corps of Engineers to cease. The Environmental Protection Agency reiterates that “Section 404 of the CWA requires anyone who proposes to fill and alter protected waterways, including wetlands, with dredged or fill material to first obtain permit authorization from the US Army Corps of Engineers.”
In addition to the $225,000 fine, Staben has also been ordered to pay at least $500,000 to restore and mitigate damage resulting from his activities, which includes removing the illegal fill from Calleguas Creek, creating two acres of vegetated embankment, and paying $150,000 into the Ventura River Watershed Habitat Restoration Fund.
[NOTE: The aerial photographs at the right represent before and after shots of the area Staben used as a dump site.]
Staben has a history of non-compliance. On other occasions, dating back to 1989, Staben was cited for unpermitted activities in Calleguas Creek as well as the Ventura River.
The EPA reports that Calleguas Creek is the main freshwater source for Mugu Lagoon Estuary, one of the largest coastal wetlands in Southern California, where a variety of endangered species dwell. Jared Blumenfeld, Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest states, “Restoring Calleguas Creek is a win for the environment and for the local community. Today’s settlement signals EPA’s commitment to protect coastal California’s watersheds, and sends a strong message to those who would despoil them.”
