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MASSACHUSETTS MAN SENTENCED FOR FALSIFYING DRINKING WATER TESTS
Release Date: 08/24/2000
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FOR RELEASE: THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2000
MASSACHUSETTS MAN SENTENCED FOR
FALSIFYING DRINKING WATER TESTS
William J. McCarthy of Lawrence, Mass., pleaded guilty on Aug. 15, in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts for violating the Safe Drinking Water Act. McCarthy will serve six months in home confinement as part of a two year probation period and will pay $15,300 in fines and assessments. During the 1990's, McCarthy was the Senior Chemist at Lawrence’s drinking water filtration plant, where he supervised water quality testing. In his previous plea, the defendant admitted that he repeatedly fabricated test results he was required to perform on water treated at the facility. The Lawrence filtration plant draws water from the Merrimack River and distributes it to more than 60,000 of its residents. The criminal investigation of McCarthy contributed to a comprehensive evaluation of the safety of the Lawrence drinking water system by state and federal regulators. That evaluation led to two administrative orders by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection which required the city to upgrade its drinking water facilities and hire an outside consultant to oversee the operation of the plant. The case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division and is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boston.
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