Dighton Conservation Commission Sets July 31 Deadline, Threatens $300-Per-Day Wetland Fines

DIGHTON -- July 17, 2025, Dighton Conservation Commission threatens $300-per-day fines as a two-year wetland restoration stalemate drags on. The commission voted unanimously at its July 17 meeting to send a constable-delivered letter to the attorney, engineer, and property owner at 2371 County Street, demanding that active restoration begin no later than July 31, 2025, along with submission of a full project schedule, or face reinstated daily fines. Chairman Jack Digest, reelected unanimously to a tenure approaching 50 years, called the delay intolerable: "Here we are 10 weeks later and we've been getting all kinds of excuses." The board also received an introductory presentation from Bruce Thompson of Daximus Incorporated, project manager for chemical company Zeneca, on a potential removal of the high-hazard Muddy Cove Pond Dam, built in 1950, now seeping, with a permitting timeline of roughly two years and construction targeted for 2027. Zeneca signaled willingness to convey the restored land to the town upon project completion.