Former water official from Brick admits fudging purity data

A Brick Township man who once operated the New Brunswick and Milltown public water systems faces the prospect of three years in prison for doctoring water-purity figures he submitted to New Jersey environmental regulators in that capacity.

Edward O'Rourke, 60, pleaded guilty today to a second-degree charge of corruption of public resources, and third-degree violations of the Safe Water Drinking Act, according to the office of acting New Jersey Attorney General John J. Hoffman.

Prosecutors seek three concurrent years for each count. Sentencing is scheduled for February 8.

O'Rourke admitted repeatedly sending false data to the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) between April 2010 and December 2012, to conceal a lack of thorough oversight of samples in each community's water supplies.

Investigators said they identified reports of more than 200 samples reflecting false figures, including fabricated testing dates, sample sites and methods, and data for samples that weren't tested at all.

O'Rourke also managed the New Brunswick certified environmental laboratory that anaylzed samples from boty systems for coliform bacteria. Investigators said that he fudged the data in order to appear compliant with federal and state guidelines, and to mask inconsistent testing protocols he and his staff employed.

According to authorities, no evidence of coliform bacteria surfaced, but O'Rourke's actions prevented DEP from determining whether any harmful components flowed through taps in homes and businesses stems in the 33-month span.

DEP contacted the Division of Criminal Justice after audits they conducted, and supplemental audits by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).