# BORDEN RANCH (TSAKOPOULOS, ANGELO K.)
> **Judicial** · FY1997 · — · Litigated With Penalty
## Case
- **Activity ID:** `52738`
- **Case Number:** 09-1997-0025
- **Type:** Judicial
- **Lead:** EPA
- **Outcome:** Litigated With Penalty
- **Penalty assessed:** —
- **Cost recovery:** —
- **Compliance action $:** —
- **Multimedia (multi-env):** N
## Defendants
- AKT DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION (complaint) (settlement)
- TSAKOPOULOS, ANGELO K. (complaint) (settlement)
## Summary

MR. TSAKOPOULOS OWNS AN 8,500 ACRE RANCH AT THE BORDER     OF SACRAMENTO AND SAN JOAQUIN COUNTIES IN CALIFORNIA         (BORDEN RANCH).  SINCE 1993, MR. TSAKOPOULOS HAS BEEN        DEVELOPING PORTIONS OF BORDEN RANCH AS VINEYARDS.  BORDEN    RANCH CONTAINS AN EXTENSIVE NETWORK OF VERNAL POOLS (A TYPE  OF SEASONAL WETLAND) AND EPHEMERAL STREAMS.  PREPARING       THE LAND FOR VINEYARD INSTALLATION HAS DAMAGED OR DESTROYED  VERNAL POOLS AND STREAMS ON THE SITE.                          MR. TSAKOPOULOS' LAND PREPARATION ACTIVITIES INVOLVE DEEP  RIPPING THE SOIL TO PREPARE IT FOR PLATNING.  DEEP RIPPING   IS A FORM OF LANDCLEARING THAT EPA AND THE CORPS OF          ENGINEERS HAVE DETERMINED CONSTITUTE A DISCHARGE OF DREDGED  AND/OR FILL MATERIAL, AT LEAST IN SOME CIRCUMSTANCES, WHEN   PERFORMED IN WATERS OF THE UNITED STATES.  AFTER DEEP        RIPPING, MR. TSAKOPOULOS DISCS THE SOIL.  DISCING IN AREAS   THAT HAVE BEEN PREVIOUSLY DEEP RIPPED RESULTS IN FURTHER     LEVELING OF THE SURFACE TOPOGRAPHY AND FILLING IN OF LOW     LYING VERNAL POOLS AND STREAMS.  REGION IX HAS CONCLUDED     THAT MR. TSAKOPOULOS' RIPPING AND DISCING OPERATIONS IN      THIS CONTEXT CONSTITUTE DISCHARGES OF DREDGED AND FILL       MATERIAL THAT ARE SUBJECT TO REGULATION UNDER THE CLEAN      WATER ACT.  MR. TSAKOPOULOS HAS NOT OBTAINED A PERMIT UNDER  SECTION 404 OF THE CLEAN WATER ACT FOR THE LAND PREPARATION  ACTIVITIES THAT ARE THE SUBJECT OF THIS REFERRAL.  THESE     DISCHARGES ARE NOT EXEMPT FROM REGULAT

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*Source: [EPA ECHO](https://echo.epa.gov/) · AI Analytics · CC0 1.0*