The indictment alleges that Mansmann and Mowell shut down a contaminated well or wells before sampling in November 2010, March 2011 and April 2011.
Harry Mansmann, of Lawrence, was indicted for allegedly attempting to hide water contamination at an East Orange water treatment facility.
A Lawrence man who heads a water utility in East Orange allegedly manipulated the agency's water supply to make it appear that contaminants in the drinking were below allowed levels, the state Attorney General said today.
Harry Mansmann, 58, the executive director of the East Orange Water Commission, was charged along with assistant executive director William Mowell, 51, of Wycoff.
They were indicted on charges of conspiracy, official misconduct, pattern of official misconduct, unlawful release of a toxic pollutant and tampering with public information or records, as well as multiple counts of violating the New Jersey Safe Drinking Water Act and the New Jersey Water Pollution Control Act.
Investigators said the men conspired to falsify tests of the water supply by shutting down contaminated wells before they were tested, so that lower levels of the contaminants would be found in water supplied to customers. Mansmann and Mowell were allegedly trying to hide high levels of Tetrachlorethene or PERC, a solvent used in dry cleaning.
The indictment alleges that Mansmann and Mowell shut down a contaminated well or wells before sampling in November 2010, March 2011 and April 2011.
The case was referred to state Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s compliance and enforcement program.
“It is absolutely unconscionable that the two top directors responsible for ensuring the quality and safety of drinking water supplied to tens of thousands of residents in East Orange and South Orange would deliberately manipulate sampling to hide the fact that the water supply contained elevated levels of a contaminant, as is alleged in this indictment,” Chiesa said in a statement. “These defendants rightfully face serious criminal charges.”
After allegations arose about Mansmann and Mowell falsifying tests, the DEP performed independent tests and found the levels of PERC were slightly above state and federal standards for safe drinking water. DEP has continued to monitor the water, according to the attorney general’s office.
The water commission supplies drinking water to East Orange and South Orange. The water is pumped from fields in Morris and Essex counties through a pumping station in Millburn. The commission blends water from different wells at the treatment plant before it is pumped to customers.
There were elevated levels of PERC in several wells, according to the attorney general’s office .
As a result of the criminal allegations, the DEP is requiring the water commission to send out information to the public about contamination levels in the system.