Prichard Water Fires Licensed Operator for Falsifying Chlorine Records

The utility running Prichard’s water system has fired its licensed operator after determining she falsified test results in a state filing, according to a regulatory disclosure.

In a notice to the Alabama Department of Environmental Management dated June 20, John Young — the court-appointed receiver who runs the Prichard Water Works and Sewer Board — wrote that it was necessary to dismiss operator Toni Hall because she falsified chlorine residual results on the system’s February Monthly Operating Report.

No Public Exposure, Receiver Says

According to the email to ADEM, chlorine residual samples went untaken for several days in February even though results were entered into the report as if they had been collected. Young told the state that the utility does not believe the lapse exposed the public to any water quality issues.

A licensed operator is required under ADEM regulations for all water systems. Young said Prichard Water has contacted two contract operations firms to locate qualified, licensed operators to fill the interim need while a permanent replacement is found.

The dismissal adds another chapter of scrutiny for the troubled utility, which has been operating under a receiver amid long-running financial and governance problems in the Mobile County city.

What Chlorine Residual Testing Shows

Chlorine residual tests measure how much disinfectant remains in treated water as it travels through pipes to homes and businesses. Water systems are required to maintain a disinfectant residual in their distribution lines and to report their sampling results to state regulators, which in Alabama means monthly operating reports filed with ADEM. Those reports are the main way the state verifies that a system is disinfecting its water properly between inspections.