KOSSUTH COUNTY, IA – A Kossuth county roofer must pay a $5,000 fine for continuously burying shingles on his property and not complying in a timely fashion with orders to clean up the mess.
Simon Simonson of Whitemore, Iowa in Kossuth county was found in 2012 to have a dug a two large pits on his acreage, behind a barn. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources discovered the pits after an anonymous tip, and investigated. Simonson told a DNR investigator that he had hauled approximately 50 loads of shingles from his roofing jobs to the site and buried them in the two pits, one of which was 25 feet deep. He claimed that he did not know it was illegal to do so.
Simonson agreed to remove all the shingles and take 15 loads to a nearby landfill by December of 2012. He later applied for a time extension to July of 2013. However, minimal work was completed after a follow-up investigation at the site by the DNR. Finally, by December of 2013, most of the shingles had been cleaned up. Receipts show that the cleanup cost Simonson over $88,000.
In levying a $5,000 penalty, the DNR concluded that the illegal disposal of the shingles may have contaminated surface and groundwater and that Sionson has a city to be knowledgable in the disposal of waste material. Simonson may appeal the order.
[poll random]
This is government coming at you and not from you.
What a bunch of BS. The DNR is out of control. $5000.00 fine because he didn’t move fast enough.
I don’t believe for one minute the ground water is hurt or contaminated. The land fill or on his land, it’s all the same. If the shingles are going to get in the water on his land it will too get in the water at the land fill.
Way to many govment rules to so another another phoney job can be created.