Beazer Reaches Settlement for Clean Water Act Violations

Beazer Homes USA, Inc., one of the nation’s largest homebuilders, will pay $925,000 in civil penalties to settle alleged Clean Water Act violations in 21 states, totaling 362 sites—20 of which are located in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The Justice Department and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the decision on December 2, 2010, noting that some of the money will help protect the Chesapeake Bay—the largest estuary in North America. Alleged violations include failure to apply for permits, discharging pollutants in stormwater, and a lack of sufficient best management practices at construction sites. Beazer Homes must develop better construction site pollution prevention plans, improve oversight by training managers and contractors, and implement a management and internal reporting system, documenting inspections and reviews to report to EPA. (The Clean Water Act requires construction sites to implement pollution controls such as silt fences, phased site grading, and sediment basins).