Jackson County, N.C., Fines Area Development

Jackson County, N.C., fined Balsam Mountain Preserve, a 4,500-acre development within its limits, $300,000 for ongoing sediment- and erosion-control violations. The development, however, has appealed the fines.

Recently an area dam break sent hundreds of tons of mud downstream, clogging creeks for miles and wiping out fish; the fines, however, are actually the result of erosion from golf course construction.

Balsam Mountain Preserve failed to address erosion problems at the site despite receiving four warnings over four months, said Jackson County sediment- and erosion-control officer Robbie Shelton.

"They had been making some progress as far as getting in compliance, but it wasn't progressing enough" said Shelton. "It never did get where it needed to be."

Balsam Mountain Preserve project manager Chris Crouch said the development has been proactive in trying to meet the county's requests. "Erosion control is an ever-moving thing," said Crouch. "It is a constant process. We felt we had been very proactive addressing everything."

The golf course's 69-acre, phase three construction project involves a great deal of land grading and reshaping due to its mountain location. Shelton said that while there is no guarantee that sediment would not have made its way into the creek had Balsam Mountain Preserve followed the county's plan. The development, though, would not be facing violation fines if such was the case.

The fines, a last resort method that three other Jackson County developments have faced over the past two years, stem from the development leaving freshly graded land exposed for too long; exposed soil is supposed to be covered within three weeks. The county also cited Balsam Mountain Preserve for failing to address and improperly implementing erosion-control measures meant to stop runoff.Preserve vice president Doug Hoffman said the development is eco-friendly working hard to correct problems related to the recent dam break. "We are committed to doing what is right," he said. "We are working with all the federal, state and local agencies to make it right."

Source: The Smoky Mountain News