MORIAH — The builder of a massive solar energy project in the Town of Moriah has been fined $25,000 after their facility allegedly caused silt runoff into a local stream.
The Adirondack Park Agency issued the civil fine after a Jan. 1, 2025, heavy rain caused silt runoff from the 23-acre solar farm into wetlands and a stream.
Radiance Solar, of Marietta, Georgia, built the 7-megawatt direct-current solar array, called the Moriah Community Solar Garden, at 789 Tarbell Hill Road in Moriah. New Energy Equity, of Annapolis, Maryland, co-developed the project with East Side Solar Holdings.
The solar enterprise got an APA permit for construction in February 2023. The venture was finished in March this year.
Radiance Solar did not reply to a request for comment on the issue.
According to the APA, a site visit by APA contractor C.T. Male Associates found channels in the soil leading downhill to a wetland, a silt fence in poor condition and minimal stabilization on the western side of the panel rows.
The Park Agency ordered the company to excavate the ground down to native soil after snow melted in the spring.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation also issued a notice of violation but did not assess a fine.
The APA closed its case in October 2025 after Radiance Solar had made repairs in July 2025.
The solar farm is in two sections, with another array off Dugway Road in Moriah.
On March 27, 2025, a worker at the Tarbell Hill Road solar project died during construction. Police said he suffered a fatal heart attack.