DEC fines Greene Co. resident $27K for illegal excavations

CATSKILL, N.Y. (NEWS10)– A Greene County resident was ordered to pay $26,625 in fines, according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The DEC said an investigation found the resident illegally excavated in streams and sold the material.

According to the DEC, Environmental Conservation Police Officers began investigating complaints of a stream disturbance in the town of Catskill in August 2022. Since then, officers interviewed the complainant and nearby homeowners, who described the resident excavating in streams.

Officials said ECO investigators also received a video of the suspected resident selling the streambed material to another homeowner.

Investigators said during their investigation, they visited the water and gathered measurements and photographs documenting the excavations. They also reported finding “fill material resembling the streambed sediment” at a homeowner’s property.

In response, the operator was issued a Notice of Violation for reportedly violating state regulation and Environmental Conservation Law.

The violations were for disturbing a protected stream, excavating navigable waters and grading or dredging within a 100-foot buffer zone of a freshwater wetland.

Officials said in July 2025, an Order on Consent was signed, and the resident paid the fine.

The DEC did not disclose the operator’s name or where in the town the incident occurred.

To contact an Environmental Conservation Police Officer or report suspected violations, call the DEC Law Enforcement Dispatch Center at 1-844-332-3267, use the online reporting system to report an environmental problem, or contact an ECO in the area where you are located.