A conservation group has accused Wareham-based A.D. Makepeace Company of violating environmental law, and the group intends to sue.
The Conservation Law Foundation alleges that for years, A.D. Makepeace has dumped sand, soil, and debris into wetlands and streams on four of the company’s cranberry bog properties: the Smith-Hammond and Wankinko bogs in Carver, and the White Island and Carverside/Canning bogs in Plymouth.
Heather Govern, the foundation’s vice president for clean air and water, said A.D. Makepeace is strip-mining millions of cubic yards of sand and filling waterways without the permit necessary under the federal Clean Water Act.
She said doing so destroys habitat and elevates the risk of floods, “and that is taking a real toll on our protected waters."
In a letter dated June 18, the Conservation Law Foundation gave the company the required 60-day notice that it plans to file a lawsuit if the parties cannot agree on a remedy.
She said the affected wetlands feed into larger waterways and the coastal ecosystem, and they are part of a broader landscape that has deep Indigenous history and cultural significance.
A.D. Makepeace spokesperson Linda Burke said the company received the notice Monday and is evaluating the information.
Further comment would be premature, she said.
Since its founding as a cranberry grower in 1854, A.D. Makepeace has expanded into real estate and the provision of sand and soil.
“We understand that the company is interested in diversifying and moving into another lucrative business, but they cannot do that without protecting the environment,” Govern said.
Govern said the alleged violations are related to the sand and soil business; the company is not filling land for development purposes.
“Really, this is a simple case,” she said. “It's just telling A.D. Makepeace that you need to apply for, and receive from the Army Corps of Engineers, a filling permit under the Clean Water Act.”
A.D. Makepeace is one of the largest cranberry growers in the world and one of the largest private landowners in Massachusetts.
