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Former West Virginia Sewage Plant Operator Sentenced to One Year in Prison for Clean Water Act Felony

Release Date: 11/1/1999
Contact Information: Donna M. Heron, 215-814-5113

GRANDVIEW, W.Va. - James Bragg of Lanark, W.Va. the former owner and operator of the Oaks Subdivision sewage treatment plant in Grandview, W.Va., was sentenced Tuesday in federal court to 12 months in prison and one year probation for a Clean Water Act felony.

Bragg pleaded guilty in July to charges that in 1996 he allowed untreated sewage from the sewage treatment plant to flow into the waters of the Pledge Branch which ultimately flows into the New River. The plant services 115 homes in the Oaks subdivision.

The case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division, with assistance from the West Virginia Division of Environmental Protection.

"West Virginians rightfully expect full compliance with the federal and state laws that protect their waterways. We will continue to work closely with the U.S. attorney’s office and the state to enforce the Clean Water Act fully and fairly in West Virginia," said EPA Regional Administrator W. Michael McCabe.

According to the March 31, 1999 indictment, Bragg knowingly discharged untreated sewage containing fecal coliform into Pledge Branch of Fat Creek in violation of the Clean Water Act permit that the state issued to the facility.

Fecal coliform is an indicator of the presence of sewage pollution and is disease-carrying pathogen. EPA regulates fecal coliform to reduce risk of illnesses such as intestinal, skin, ear and eye infections.

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