TALLAHASSEE, Florida, August 16, 2002 A wastewater utility operator in Florida has been arrested for falsifying water quality reports. Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Division of Law Enforcement officers arrested Perry O'Neal Robinson on Wednesday. Robinson, the director of Water/Wastewater Operations at the City of Mary Esther Utility, was arrested on one count of knowing falsification of a document and one count of failure to submit documents as required by Florida law and DEP regulations.
Robinson, who has been the utility's director since March 2001, was the subject of a six month investigation beginning in February 2002. He is accused of falsifying the annual nitrate report for calendar year 2001, during which time he failed to conduct any nitrate tests. One nitrate analysis, consisting of several samples, is required per year. Most other chemical analyses are only required ever three years, however, nitrate/nitrite is considered more hazardous and is tested every year. Results of confirmed tests conducted by the City of Mary Esther Utility in February 2002 indicated that both nitrates and nitrites are within the acceptable limit of under 10 parts per million. Nitrates and nitrites are nitrogen-oxygen chemical units, formed from the breakdown of various organic and inorganic compounds, including agricultural fertilizer, human sewage and livestock manure from feedlots. Since they are very soluble and do not bind to soils, nitrates can readily migrate into groundwater. Because they do not evaporate, nitrates/nitrites are likely to remain in water until consumed by plants, livestock or humans. Nitrates can pose acute health concerns at certain levels of exposure. Excessive levels in drinking water have been known to cause serious illness and sometimes death in infants under six months of age. Robinson's actions in falsifying and submitting a fictitious chemical analysis report to the DEP could have posed health risks to the infant population serviced by the Mary Esther drinking water system. Robinson's two misdemeanor charges carry a maximum penalty of up to six months in jail for each count and/or a fine of up to $10,000 for each count.