PHILADELPHIA — Dec. 16, 2015 — A Pennsylvania businessman was charged with Clean Water Act violations for allegedly discarding treated wastewater samples that did not meet federal standards, according to a press release.
U.S. Attorney Zane David Memeger said that Matthew Brozena and his company, MAB Environmental Services, Inc., are accused of knowingly violating permit conditions, tampering with required monitoring devices and methods, and false reporting. Related charges have been filed against James Wetzel, James Crafton and Stephen Fritz.
MAB Environmental Services was contracted to operate wastewater treatment plants for its customers BC Natural Chicken and Buckingham Valley Nursing Center, in compliance with permits issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to those facilities, noted the release.
The permits allowed treated wastewater to be discharged into nearby waters under specified conditions, including limits on the amount of each pollutant discharged, stated the release.
Treatment plant operators were required to test samples of the discharge for certain pollutants and report the samples and test results to the state department of environmental protection, reported the release.
However, the charging documents allege that Brozena directed his employees at MAB, including Wetzel and Fritz, to discard samples when Brozena believed that the pollutants in the samples would exceed the permit limits, shared the release. The charges also allege that, at Brozena’s direction, Wetzel, Crafton, Fritz and other MAB employees falsely reported samples and test results.
According to the release, if convicted of all charges, MAB Environmental Services, Inc. faces probation and fines, while Brozena faces a “significant” prison term, fines and supervised release. Crafton and Fritz face prison terms, fines and supervised release, and Wetzel faces a maximum sentence of one year in prison, a fine, and supervised release.
You can find the entire release here.
