Golf club owner agrees to pay $100,000 over manure incident

ESCONDIDO, Calif. (AP) – The owner of a Southern California golf club, who raised a stink by spreading chicken manure on the course, has agreed to pay $100,000 to air pollution regulators.

The San Diego Union-Tribune  reported Friday that the deal involves the defunct Escondido Country Club.

San Diego County’s Air Pollution Control District claimed that last year, the owner had 5 tons of raw chicken manure spread on the closed course – creating a monthlong stink and sparking dozens of complaints from nearby homeowners.

Owner Michael Schlesinger says the stuff was just soil enhancer for landscaping, but some homeowners thought it was laid down to annoy residents who fought his plans to build hundreds of homes on the property.

In agreeing to the payment, Schlesinger doesn’t acknowledge any wrongdoing.