Water violations blamed on worker

A report on drinking water quality says an employee falsified data on hundreds of Raleigh water samples

RALEIGH -- Although it probably won't be on many summer reading lists, Raleigh's 2006 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report includes its fair share of intrigue.

The report, which was recently mailed to Raleigh water customers, documents the city's three violations, all of which stem from a rogue employee's intentionally falsifying more than 500 water samples over a three-month period.

In a letter to state officials, Public Utilities Director Dale Crisp described how his department used high-tech surveillance and old-school detective work to uncover the subterfuge.

On April 24, 2006, a dispatcher reported noticing "strange occurrences" taking place with the GPS tracking device embedded in the Nextel phone of a Water Quality Technician referred to as Technician "A."

City officials identified Technician A as Stefany Porter, who was a permanent employee with the city for more than seven years before she was fired May 18, 2006.

The department employed Porter to collect drinking water samples that were later tested for total coliform bacteria, which includes E. coli. Each month the city is required to collect at least 180 water samples and test them for total coliform bacteria.

Porter's GPS records showed "a suspicious repetition of an address" during the workday, according to Crisp's account.

After reviewing the data, Water Treatment Plants Supervisor John Garland staked out the address for several hours on April 27 and May 1.

On both days, Porter remained at the address for several hours. A closer review of the official log sheets showed that Porter claimed to be collecting samples in another location of the city at the same time she was under surveillance.

The city initiated an audit of 1,000 water samples Porter had collected between January and April of 2006. The audit revealed that only 483 of the samples were valid.

"The remaining 517 samples were invalidated due to improper sampling practices by a former City employee, who was dismissed from City employment as a result of this intentional act," states the notice included in the annual report.

The valid samples collected by Porter did not contain any total coliform bacteria.

City officials did not take legal action against Porter, although technicians are required to complete an unbroken custody claim, a legal document certifying where, when and why each sample was taken.

Raleigh initially included a public notice reporting the violations with its November utility bills. But state officials ruled that notice was inadequate, which led to the city's including it as part of its annual report.

The violation notice says the city has implemented additional safeguards to prevent future monitoring violations.

Ken Best, facility manager at Raleigh's E.M. Johnson Water Plant, said in this case verifying an employee's whereabouts using technology is really the only way discover such fakery.

Best said people should not conclude that Porter's actions are representative of the rest of the Public Utilities Department.

"They're professional people," he said, "and they actually enjoy what they do."