Builder with ‘history’ of illegal burning is fined by Iowa DNR

An Anamosa home builder accused of illegally burning or burying construction and demolition debris multiple times in the past five years was recently fined $3,000 by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

The latest incident happened in June 2022, when people in an upscale residential area near Anamosa in southeast Iowa alleged that an illegal burn pile was emitting black smoke.

A deputy sheriff who responded to the complaints found a pile of debris on fire near a house that was under construction. Dean Wood was the property developer, according to DNR records. He is also the property owner, county records show.

The deputy told Wood’s employees to cover the debris with soil to extinguish the fire. When a DNR officer arrived later, she found pieces of siding among the debris. Such debris must be taken to a landfill for disposal under Iowa law.

One of the employees “stated initially that they had been burning paper, but later clarified that there had been siding in the burn pile as well,” a DNR order noted.

The employees were putting siding on the back of the house that day, the officer reported. A sale is now pending for the house, which had been listed for $420,000, according to Iowa Realty’s website.

The DNR, in its order that levied the $3,000 fine against Wood, said he “has a history of illegal open burning.”

The department noted two other incidents in the order:

— In January 2017, Wood’s company demolished part of a commercial building in the area and burned it. A DNR officer “explained to Mr. Wood that he could not burn trade waste or demolition waste and that the remains must be taken to a landfill,” the DNR order said. “Mr. Wood told (the officer) that he would not burn demolition waste or trade waste in the future.”

— In May 2018, someone reported to the DNR that Wood was digging holes to bury paint buckets, plastic and tires near the person’s home. A DNR officer who responded to the complaint did not see any holes but saw that the soil had been disturbed. He issued Wood a notice of violation for burning tires as part of a brush fire.

As part of the recent DNR order, Wood has agreed to pay the fine, properly dispose of any remaining construction debris at the Anamosa house, and comply with state requirements in the future.

Wood could not be reached to comment for this article.

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