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WEST VIRGINIA MAN CHARGED WITH FAILING TO TREAT SEWAGE AT LOW-INCOME HOUSING UNITS
Release Date: 05/15/98
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FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY, MAY 15, 1998
WEST VIRGINIA MAN CHARGED WITH FAILING TO
TREAT SEWAGE AT LOW-INCOME HOUSING UNITS
TREAT SEWAGE AT LOW-INCOME HOUSING UNITS
On May 7, James R. Chaplin of Morgantown, W.Va., was indicted in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia in Elkins on 18 counts of violating various federal laws, including the Clean Water Act. Chaplin was in the business of constructing and managing housing developments for low-income families throughout northern West Virginia. The charges state that Chaplin allowed wastewater containing high levels of pollutants to be discharged from sewage treatment facilities at seven different housing developments he constructed. In addition, he was charged with constructing illegal sewage treatment bypasses at two of his developments and with equity skimming and the illegal use of government funds for his own purposes. Some of the wastewaters discharged contained high levels of fecal coliform bacteria. The polluted waters entered local creeks at the low-rent housing units and eventually flowed into the West Fork and Ohio Rivers. Human contact with waters containing high levels of fecal coliform bacteria can produce a variety of gastrointestinal and other infections. If convicted on all counts, Chaplin could receive maximum penalties of 60 years in prison and/or fines of $4.5 million. The case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division, the FBI, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection.
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