U.S. Indicts Dallas Plant Operator

By Deborah Hirsch, The Charlotte Observer, N.C.

Apr. 24–A man who worked in a Dallas, N.C., wastewater treatment plant that was fined a record $141,123 last week has been indicted by a federal grand jury for felony violations of the Clean Water Act, the U.S. Attorney’s office announced Wednesday.

The indictment alleges that plant operator Kirby Case, 52, of Lowell, violated the Act between July and December 2007 by falsifying records documenting the levels of pollutants in water samples and discharging pollutants into the Dallas Branch, a stream that flows into the Catawba River.

Case said he’s waiting to be assigned a federal public defender.

“I just can’t wait to get before somebody who don’t have a dog in this fight,” he said. He declined to comment further on the advice of the public defender’s office.

Case and George Hughes, who supervised the plant, were fired after inspectors found 4 to 8 inches of sludge in the Dallas Branch stream in late November. Last week, the state revoked their certifications. Hughes could also face federal charges.

If Case is convicted on both charges, he could face up to five years in prison and thousands of dollars in fines.

The Criminal Investigation Unit of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.

Deborah Hirsch: 704-868-7742

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