JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (Legal Newsline) - Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster announced a judgment Thursday against a failed Branson resort developer who allegedly allowed pollution to drain into Table Rock Lake.
Koster obtained the judgment in Stone County Circuit Court against Indian Ridge Resort Inc. and James Shirato, the resort's developer. Shirato and Indian Ridge started, but never finished, an 850-acre development located near Table Rock Lake on Highway 76 southeast of Branson. The development would have included a golf course, water park, conference center, an eight-story hotel, retail space, condominiums and hundreds of homes.
Construction on the project has been delayed for several years. The site features deep erosion gullies that have caused topsoil and sediment to drain into Table Rock Lake. The drainage collects in coves, harming the lake ecosystem and aquatic life.
"Table Rock Lake is a valuable state resource, and my office will continue to take action against those who endanger it and other natural resources in Missouri," Koster said.
Under the terms of the judgment, Indian Ridge Resort and Shirato must bring the site into compliance with the Missouri Clean Water Law, pay a civil penalty of $100,000, pay $25,719 in court and remediation costs incurred by the state and pay for all future state costs incurred at the site.
Koster credited the Missouri Department of Natural Resources for helping with this matter.
Mo. AG announces judgment against failed Branson resort developer
