Wolfeboro marine construction business, island property owner sued by for illegal dredging

WOLFEBORO — Two state agencies have filed a lawsuit against a business owner and his two companies over unlawful dredging of Lake Winnipesaukee, around Littlest Mud Island.

The lawsuit, filed Sept. 22, in Carroll County Superior Court, was brought by Attorney General John M. Formella and Robert R. Scott, commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services. The complaint details the state’s request for civil penalties and corrective restoration by John Murray, Legacy Lake Builders LLC, and Murray’s Specialty Services LLC.

Pratt Island LLC is listed as the owner of Littlest Mud Island in court documents. “The unpermitted work was reportedly conducted at the direction and with the assent of B. Cameron Pratt and Pratt Island, LLC,” reads a Sept. 24 press release from Formella.

The release details that island owners are cooperating with the lawsuit. A restoration plan outlining efforts to repair the damage was due Oct. 2. That deadline was met, according to the state Department of Justice Environmental Protection Bureau.

“The owner submitted a document to NHDES last Friday styled as a 'preliminary restoration plan,' which NHDES is currently reviewing," Assistant Attorney General Mark. L. Lucas wrote in a follow-up email. "The goal of restoration is to address and remedy the impacts alleged in the complaint.”

Requests for comment from John Murray, and legal counsel for Pratt Island LLC, were not returned by deadline.

“The numerous and extensive violations which occurred in connection with the unpermitted work on and around Littlest Mud Island are of an unprecedented scale and resulted in significant and widespread impacts to Lake Winnipesaukee, as well as to the wetlands and shoreline of the island itself,” Scott said, according to the press release. “Unpermitted impacts to Lake Winnipesaukee and Littlest Mud Island must be rectified. The Department is also seeking proportionate civil penalties for the unpermitted work, remains vigilant for all illegal work conducted in and around state waters, and is always available for compliance assistance and questions.”

Dredging is the underwater excavation and removal of sand, mud, and sediment from the bottom of waterways, lakes, and harbors. At times, it’s a natural remediation to preserve lake ecosystems. When done without care for the environment, real damage can be done.

The Granite State, and the leaders who uphold its laws, takes the region’s natural resources very seriously.

“The robust enforcement of state laws protecting irreplaceable natural resources such as Lake Winnipesaukee serves to preserve New Hampshire’s waters for current and future generations of residents and visitors,” Formella said in the press release. “We must maintain diligent enforcement efforts in order to provide a level playing field for landowners, developers and consultants, all of whom must obtain and comply with the required permits for work conducted in and around state waters.”

Dredging without a permit is illegal in the Granite State. 

"New Hampshire law requires a permit for dredging in the waters of the state. As the Legislature has recognized in RSA 482-A:1, permitting requirements are intended to protect and preserve submerged lands and the aquatic resources, habitat, water quality, commerce and public interests associated with them,” Lucas wrote.

Murray’s businesses are well known in the Lakes Region, most recently in the news for their contributions to the clean-up efforts of The Dive, a floating restaurant on Winnipeasukee that caught fire over the summer. The establishment was a total loss, and Murray said at the time he was honored to help with the clean-up.

“The clean up of the Dive was not an easy thing and there are few people setup like I am to make ot [sic] happen. We finished up major clean up yesterday after 3 days of work. We had septic tanks pumped and removed. We hand shoveled all the debris and burnt remnants off the hull,” wrote John Murray, owner of Murray’s Speciality Services, in a Facebook post on July 30. “The owner and volunteers spent 2 days cleaning up the sandbar area.”

Littlest Mud Island in Wolfeboro is home to a 1950s, one-floor, camp-style home with a gabled metal roof and one bedroom and one bathroom. There’s a boat house with docks on the island property. According to the town’s 2025 property tax valuations, the home is valued at $1.3 million.

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Katlyn Proctor can be reached at katlyn@laconiadailysun.com or by calling 603-524-0150.