Ryland to Pay $625K for Stormwater Violations

One of the nation’s largest homebuilders must pay $625,000 to the federal government and seven states, including Maryland, for stormwater violations.

The Department of Justice and the federal Environmental Protection agency announced the penalty on Friday against The Ryland Group Inc. for alleged violations at construction sites nationwide, including the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Maryland will receive a portion of the settlement along with Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Nevada and Virginia. The consent decree also includes sites in California, Georgia, Kentucky, Minnesota, South Carolina and Texas.

Alleged violations include failing to obtain permits and not complying with permit requirements. The EPA says the settlement is expected to keep millions of pounds of sediment from entering waterways each year, where it can harm water quality and ecologically important plants and other species.