A Dickinson County construction company has been fined for open burning violations. The Iowa Attorney General’s Office says Bernard Cohrs and Cohrs Construction have been ordered to pay a $10,000 civil penalty for the alleged illegal burning material at the Cohrs Gravel Pit located about five miles west of Lake Okoboji.
The Attorney General’s Office filed a lawsuit last year after the Iowa Department of Natural Resources responded to a complaint. The D.N.R. confirmed open burning was taking place in a small pit located on the property — and also discovered evidence of past open burning on the property.
A Dickinson County District Court ordered Cohrs and Cohrs Construction to pay a $5,000 civil penalty for the open burning violations, and a $5,000 civil penalty for the solid waste violations. The court also prohibited any further solid waste and open burning violations.