I am glad they are doing some work on this . Big Indian ran red last spring when we had rain .
Jim Shirato, developer of the Indian Ridge Resort project in Stone County, says he doesn't understand why the state has sued him for alleged runoff pollution of Table Rock Lake.
Shirato said he has a remediation plan in place with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, and crews have been working to halt erosion for days."We moved heavy equipment out here in November,'' Shirato said Tuesday.
"As I'm standing here, I'm looking at crews from Empire Electric, three backhoes, large earthmovers and a dozen men and trucks delivering loads of dirt and rock."
Attorney General Chris Koster filed the lawsuit Tuesday against Shirato and Donald Snider, managing member of North Shore Investments LLC, who planned a $1.6 billion, 850-acre development located near Branson West.
The site is less than a mile upstream of Table Rock Lake.
In the lawsuit, Koster said no work has taken place at the site since August 2008, when the developers' bank failed and was taken over by the FDIC.
He alleged that runoff from the property washed sediment into Table Rock Lake with each rain.
"Every developer in our state is aware of the obligation to ensure the environmental integrity of their development sites," Koster said, in a news release.
"This office will aggressively pursue any developers who show disregard for our environmental laws."
The development was to include hundreds of homes, condominiums, an eight-story hotel, water park, golf course, conference center and retail shopping and restaurants.
Koster is asking the court to issue an order requiring the defendants to comply with the Clean Water Law; to assess a civil penalty not to exceed $10,000 per day for each violation of the Clean Water Law; to pay for their damage to Table Rock Lake, and to require the defendants to pay all costs associated with the case.
Shirato said he hired Heithaus Engineering and Associates of Springfield to develop a remediation plan in conjunction with DNR.
Owner Ken Heithaus said crews have been repairing drainage ditches and detention dams that have washed out from rainfall, covering some areas with soil and seed and putting down rock to keep runoff from reaching the lake.
He said DNR will require Shirato to maintain the runoff controls after they are in place.
Nancy Gonder, spokeswoman for Koster's office, called the work "a step in the right direction."
However, she said the work would not stop the lawsuit from proceeding.
Gonder also said the clock for potential daily fines began ticking "the day the Missouri Clean Water Law was violated."
Because work on Indian Ridge halted in 2008, the potential fine could be huge.
However, if fines were eventually levied, Gonder said, Koster's office "would take into account good faith efforts on the developers' behalf to resolve the situation."