Attorney General Kelly A. Ayotte recently brought suit in Rockingham Superior Court to require the removal of an abandoned house barge from the banks of the Piscataqua River in Newington, where it had sunk several years ago.

The barge holds a three-bedroom house that was towed to its location from Badger’s Island, Maine in late 2002 by its owners, Badger’s Island LLC, Eric Chinburg and Skye Maher. The barge was tied to the bank and anchored near Shafmaster’s lobster pier without permission from the State. Through the alleged negligence of the owners’ contractor, it became stuck and sank. The barge is dilapidated, lies exposed to the weather, and is not sea worthy. The State provided the owners of the barge opportunity to remove the barge voluntarily but after seven months they had not done so.

The Attorney General’s lawsuit alleges that the barge is a public nuisance, that it trespasses on State property, and that it violates the State’s wetlands protection laws. The suit seeks an order requiring the removal of the barge and civil penalties, which can be as much as $10,000 per day.

Attorney General Ayotte commented: “Protection of the State’s wetlands is a high priority for me. We intend to pursue this matter until the barge is gone and the wetland restored.”

For further information, please contact Peter C.L. Roth, Senior Assistant Attorney General at (603) 271-3679.

Abandoned house barge, Newington, New Hampshire, August 16, 2006.
Photo by NHAGO