Workers violate erosion rules in leaving South Heidelberg slope naked

by Steve Reinbrecht

I've updated this with new information from PennDOT.

July 28

A contractor hired by PennDOT violated environmental regulations in a project at Penn Avenue and Green Valley Road, in Lower Heidelberg, across from the Sheetz.

“The earth disturbance is related to a Penn Dot project; there was a complaint and violations which have been temporarily resolved,” Berks County Conservation District spokeswoman Tammi Bartsch told me in an e-mail. “All parties are working towards a final resolution.”

J.D. Eckman, of Atglen, is the main contractor on the project, said PennDOT spokesman Sean Brown. The workers have installed more erosion control as required, he said.

In an arrangement with the state, the county conservation districts handle initial complaints about erosion problems, such as giant machines tearing off turf and exposing bare soil on a slope.

If it finds a problem, the district office might send a violation notice and give the workers time to resolve the problem.

The state Department of Environmental Protection generally doesn’t get involved in erosion issues unless the violator doesn’t respond, department spokesman John Repetz said.

At the Penn Avenue site, all kinds of erosion control, such as tarps and barriers, were soon installed.

August 4

Erosion control is important to keep soil out of the water and even out of the air. Errant sediment mucks up roads, creeks, storm-water systems and people’s properties.

It’s good the government wants to give workers a chance when they break the rules. I’m sure the rules are cumbersome and often hard to understand.

I’m also glad somebody noticed the naked dirt and complained, likely leading to proper controls being installed.