PITTSBURGH - A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to one year probation on his conviction of conspiring to violate the Clean Water Act, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
United States District Judge William S. Stickman, IV imposed the sentence on James Paprocki, age 52.
According to information presented to the court, Paprocki was a supervisor at the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority’s Aspinwall Drinking Water Production Plant. At various times between 2010 and 2017, Paprocki and another plant supervisor, Glenn Lijewski, illegally discharged clarifier sludge, a byproduct that is produced when raw water is converted into potable water, into the Allegheny River. Under the terms of an environmental permit, the sludge had to pumped to ALCOSAN’s waste treatment plant. Lijewski and Paprocki also submitted reports containing false estimates about the amount sludge that was actually being sent to the waste treatment plant.
Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Stickman stated that while Paprocki’s conduct was serious, it was the only time Paprocki had been in trouble with the law.
“This sentencing completes the federal criminal investigation of the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority and two of its former managers for knowingly violating discharge permit limits and for false statements," said Jennifer Lynch, Special Agent in Charge of EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division. “The prosecution has brought about much needed structural, funding, and cultural change at the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority, especially concerning the Aspinwall plant."
Assistant United States Attorney Michael Leo Ivory prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Chung commended the EPA, Criminal Investigation Division for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of James Paprocki.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
