ANTIGO, Wis. (WSAU) – An Antigo man who illegally built a road on wetlands has been fined $28,000 under action from the DNR. And the state Department of Justice.

James Draeger has been ordered to remove a road through wetlands on property in the Town of Peck that he built in 2005 without consulting the Army Corps of Engineers or the DNR. Under state and federal law, any construction or modification to a wetland has to be cleared through proper channels, and have studies done to measure the impact of that change.

DNR staff investigated the project after getting a complaint about the road, and determined that the road did not meet state water quality standards.  DNR staff also determined that Draeger did not qualify for a possible federal exemption from permitting requirements.

The state and Draeger settled the case after a judge called for a jury trial in the matter.