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OHIO MAN CONVICTED ON CLEAN WATER ACT VIOLATIONS
Release Date: 02/12/99
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FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1999
OHIO MAN CONVICTED ON CLEAN WATER ACT VIOLATIONS
Ronald M. Merckle of Moxahala, Ohio, was convicted on Jan. 28, in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio in Columbus on 31 counts of violating the Clean Water Act. Between September 1993 and September 1996, Merckle submitted false reports to the Ohio EPA concerning the levels of fecal coliform bacteria, ammonia and other pollutants which were being discharged from six wastewater treatment plants in Muskingum County in southern Ohio. Contact with waters that have high levels of fecal coliform bacteria can cause a variety of infectious diseases in people. Waters with high levels of ammonia are also harmful to fish and other aquatic life. Merckle was the sanitary engineer for Muskingum County and he was also the vice president, treasurer and half-owner of the TCW company of New Lexington, Ohio. TCW had a contract with the county to manage the six treatment plants. When sentenced, Merckle faces a maximum sentence of up to two years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine on each count. The case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division, the FBI, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Special Investigations Unit, the Ohio Attorney General Bureau of Criminal Investigations, and was prosecuted by the U.S. Department of Justice.
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