A Seattle couple has been fined $19,000 for substantially developing several parcels of land along the Wenatchee River near Leavenworth without permits and in violation of local and state shoreline management regulations.
 
In addition to the civil penalty, the Washington Department of Ecology has ordered Christopher and Janett Olson to obtain all necessary permits and restore the shoreline destroyed when they created land for future development.
 
Naturally functioning shorelines protect life and property, preserve ecological and environmental values, and help provide flood control on Washington lakes, rivers and coastal waters. These values are threatened when property owners conduct land clearing, dredging and filling activities, on shorelines and in wetlands without proper planning and permits.
 
The Olsons are cited for removing important riparian vegetation, dredging material from an unnamed stream, installing a culvert, and placing fill dirt in the river channel during development on property they own, and without permission, on a neighboring parcel.
 
All these activities violate policies of the Chelan County Shoreline Master Program and the 1971 state Shoreline Management Act.
 
Ecology issued a notice of correction on Dec. 14, 2017, to the Olsons via a process server, outlining procedures to obtain local, state and federal permits and approvals to remove the unpermitted shoreline development and restore the shoreline. They had until March 20, 2018, to comply. Two reminders were sent via email to the Olsons with no reply.
 
The Olsons have 30 days to file an appeal with the state Shoreline Hearings Board.