A California man has been fined $150,000 for suction dredge mining on the South Fork Clearwater River.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Raymond Patricco levied the fine against Shannon Poe, for polluting the river and refusing to secure a permit as required under the Clean Water Act. The Lewiston Tribune reports the fine represents one of the largest Clean Water Act penalties against an individual in Idaho. The ruling also prohibits the Concord, California man from mining on the South Fork in the future unless he secures and complies with a Clean Water Act permit.
The Idaho Conservation League filed the lawsuit against Poe in August 2018 for illegal suction dredge mining on the South Fork of the Clearwater River, which provides critical habitat for salmon, steelhead, bull trout and other sensitive species. (Lewiston Tribune)
