by peter e. bortner
Police on Monday charged a former Schuylkill County Municipal Authority employee with urinating into a filter unit at a water treatment plant in April in Branch Township.
Paul R. Herb, 52, of Mar Lin, who lost his job following the incident at the Indian Run Water Treatment Plant, faces charges of institutional vandalism, criminal mischief and tampering with a public water system.
"He has been terminated after a full internal investigation of the incident," SCMA Executive Director Patrick M. Caulfield said Monday.
Police filed the charges at the office of Magisterial District Judge David J. Rossi, Tremont, who has not yet scheduled Herb's preliminary hearing.
State police at Schuylkill Haven allege Herb, who was a certified water treatment operator, urinated into filter unit 2 at the plant between 9:15 and 9:45 a.m. April 20.
The plant provides water to Mount Carbon and portions of Pottsville and North Manheim and Norwegian townships, police said.
Caulfield said SCMA took prompt and complete action to make certain the public water supply never was endangered.
"SCMA immediately removed an affected filter unit from service, isolated its process water from the finished water distribution system and contacted the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection," Caulfield noted in a written statement.
Caulfield said SCMA washed, disinfected and placed the unit back into operation only after a series of tests that lasted 48 hours and assured the authority of the quality of the water.
The process worked, according to Caulfield.
"At no time was there ever a potential for any affected water to integrate with the public distribution system," and water quality remained in full compliance with all state and federal regulations, he said in the statement.
In its own statement, DEP said its Northeast Regional Office Safe Drinking Water Program, Wilkes-Barre, and Herb executed a consent order and agreement June 9.
Under the terms of that agreement, Herb agreed to the revocation of his water and wastewater systems operators certification and waivers of his right to a hearing and appeal in the matter, according to DEP. Also, Herb agreed never to seek reinstatement of his existing certifications, apply for a new operator's certificate and never operate or supervise operation of a treatment plant in Pennsylvania, according to DEP.