Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

In February 2017, the Gardens were warned of violations found the previous month at the site during a $30-million expansion — plans for which were first revealed the previous April.[1] Five months later, in July 2017, the State of Maine issued a formal Notice of Violation of four federal environmental laws: the Natural Resources Protection Act, the Erosion and Sedimentation Control Law, the Protection and Improvement of Waters Act and the Site Location of Development Act.[8] On at least four occasions, a third-party inspector witnessed "instances of unclean water in protected wetlands and significant vernal pools", as well as "inadequate steps being taken to prevent erosion; and the unlicensed construction of a 'plunge pool' in a freshwater wetland area".[8]

By the end of June 2017, erosion-control measures were in place, and a restoration plan for a wetland area was in progress.[8]

The Department of Environmental Protection notice stated that sets of the contractor's construction plans for the project were never approved by the State. The constructor was Wright-Ryan Construction.[8]

The expansion included a new visitor center and gift shop, a restaurant, a 16,000-square-foot horticulture research and production facility, a six-story conservatory, along with formal gardens and trails. Parking was also expanded, with the loss of a large number of white pine trees.[8][9]

To make the expansion possible, large areas of wetlands (including 6.2 acres (2.5 ha) of "critical terrestrial habitat of eight significant vernal pools") were permanently altered.[8] Executive Director William Cullina claimed that, in some cases, "permanently altered" meant "improved".[8]

The Boothbay Region Water District and a local family filed separate appeals of the project. The former dropped its opposition after the Gardens revised its plans to move its septic system.[8]