Thomas Hamilton’s Spokane River neighbors are mad at him for muddying the waters that flow by their homes. He’s now been told to undo the environmental damage that resulted when he ignored orders not to dredge along the river. He was lucky to escape penalties and fines from the Idaho state Department of Lands for the unauthorized project.

Hamilton should gladly accept his light punishment and move on.

Rather than be grateful that the state didn’t hammer him with sanctions and fines, however, the Spokane businessman insists he improved the environment by dredging a natural inlet for a boat slip at his riverfront home near Post Falls on Mother’s Day weekend. In discussing his situation with a Spokesman-Review reporter, he used the terms, “ridiculous” and “completely out of proportion” to describe the charges against him. He also said he’d hired a team of “independent” scientists to prove his point that the site should now be left alone.

Hamilton’s unrepentant comments and after-the-fact play for scientific validation may appeal to the sort of person who sees no need for rules and regulations. But they leave most of us cold. Basically, here’s an impatient guy who got tired of the bureaucratic process and gambled that he could get away with dredging his boat slip on his time schedule. He lost that gamble. Hamilton has squandered $50,000 on his gambit, to date. He could match or surpass that amount in scientific fees – and that doesn’t take into account the money he’ll spend satisfying a Department of Lands requirement that he restore his property to its previous state.

Although some neighbors griped that Hamilton got off easy, without penalties and stiff fines, he won’t enjoy funding the restorative work. Also, he still faces sanctions from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for violating the Clean Water Act, as well as possible criminal charges from Kootenai County. Before he protests too much, Hamilton should consult his congressman, Butch Otter, who was fortunate to be fined only $50,000 three years ago for violating the federal Clean Water Act by destroying wetlands near his Star, Idaho, home.

Gone are the times when a property owner with a caterpillar and strong chain can muck around in public waterways and wetlands. The regulations that a land owner faces before dredging in such areas may be burdensome, but the red tape underscores the importance that Americans place on protecting water quality, spawning beds and waterfowl habitat.

At a minimum, Hamilton has learned it’s not fun to tangle with environmental agencies. In talking to The Spokesman-Review, he said he would hit the reset button if he could: “I wished I hadn’t done anything,” he said. “It would have been a whole lot simpler.” Hamilton still could serve a useful purpose as poster boy for waterfront owners who eschew government rules. Others facing the temptation to defile a waterway or wetland will have a better idea of the consequences of pushing ahead without proper permission.