Tumwater company fined, owner sentenced for falsifying water test samples
Update: A previous photo attached to this story showed an incorrect location. The photo has been removed and replaced.
Clearwater Utility Services in Tumwater has been fined and the owner was sentenced to jail time after an Environmental Protection Agency investigation found the water utility submitted false water samples to a laboratory.
The charges against the owner were dropped. Read the update here.
The samples were from a public water system serviced by the company on Old Highway 99. They were being tested for lead and copper.
According to a news release from the EPA Office of Inspector General, Clearwater owner Timothy Tayne pleaded guilty to a charge of attempted offering of false instrument for filing or record. His business was fined $5,000 and he was sentenced to 364 days in prison and 80 hours of community service.
The investigation was led by the EPA’s Office of Inspector General and Robert Grant, the assistant Attorney General for Washington’s EPA division.
“This case demonstrates the EPA Office of Inspector General’s commitment to investigate and prosecute crimes that involve the deliberate falsification of scientific data,” said Special Agent in Charge Garrett J. Westfall in the news release. “Without accurate information and data integrity, the EPA and its partners cannot make the best decisions based on science to protect human health and the environment.”
Tumwater spokesperson Ann Cook said the city doesn’t have a contract with this company for water treatment and never has. She said the majority of the city’s water testing is done by a company in Kelso.
This story was originally published June 20, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
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