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An Ashland logger has corrected damage to wetlands along the Ni River in Spotsylvania County.
The Army Corps of Engineers outlined the finding in a letter to William B. Gilman, owner of Gilman Logging Co.
"Based on the results of the on-site visit, we have determined that the restoration [on three tracts] has been completed in a satisfactory manner," wrote Bruce F. Williams, chief of the corps' Northern Virginia Regulatory Section, in a letter Monday to the businessman.
The letter also recommended that Gilman contact the corps' Fredericksburg office before doing any other work on the land.
The corps was notified by nearby landowners in December that wetlands along the Ni had been disturbed. Much of the work was visible from Interstate 95.
After visiting the site, the corps found that Gilman had failed to secure the necessary permits to drain more than a dozen acres of forested wetlands. The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and the Virginia Department of Forestry also visited the site to recommend corrective action.
On the west side of I-95, Gilman dug a 700-foot-long ditch through the marsh and deposited the fill material in adjacent wetlands. Clearing was done on the east side of the highway.
Gilman was cited for violations of the Clean Water Act.
At the time, he claimed that beavers had dammed a creek, causing water to back up onto his property. Gilman told investigators he dug the ditch to correct the problem and that he was not aware the tract was considered wetlands, which are governed by state and federal laws.
Wetlands act as a natural barrier to runoff and pollutants and as a nursery for many plants and animals.
Gilman was required to submit a restoration plan and a timetable for completing the work, and to pay for the corrections.
To reach RUSTY DENNEN: 374-5431 rdennen@freelancestar.com