Water Plant Workers Charged After Raw Sewage Leaks into Creek
Situated just northwest of Oklahoma City, the Bethany-Warr Acres Water Treatment Plant was recently the scene of a crime – that is, according to Oklahoma County District Attorney Vicki Behenna who has filed charges against two former employees.
The water treatment plant handles three million gallons of raw sewage a day, and the County alleges that 55-year-old Anthony Menzie and 63-year-old Glenn Brentnell committed multiple felonies in willfully allowing waste to leak into a nearby creek.
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According to reports, regulators responded to a complaint in 2022, where they discovered improperly treated and raw wastewater had been pooling near the plant and then flowing into nearby Bluff Creek.
Witnesses pointed to the two suspects, and Menzie reportedly admitted to falsifying lab records in order to downplay fecal contamination levels – something he says he was instructed to do by Brentnell, the plant manager.
A report in The Oklahoman points to ongoing problems with the facility between 2020 and 2022, including non-compliance as well as problems with the wastewater management system. These issues led to at least four notices to be issued to the facility.
The state's Department of Environmental Quality alleges in court documents that, after an emergency order was issued, the agency learned that there were no personnel onsite at the facility and that the doors were locked.
Shortly thereafter, in late 2022, Brentnell is said to have 'abruptly retired' though the suit says he claimed "the issues in the … notices were minor."
A separate investigation by a public trust disagreed, instead finding plant equipment that was neglected and in a state of disrepair. They suggest it was these issues that led to the discharge of wastewater into Bluff Creek and subsequent coverup.
While local authorities hope to see Menzie and Brentnell face the music, they also stress that the problems are being addressed. Regulators say the situation at the plant has improved, and the facility is on its way to getting back in compliance.
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