A wastewater treatment plant supervisor was arrested and suspended without pay after investigators discovered he’d been running an unlicensed winery out of the treatment facility in Rainsville, Alabama.
The 62-year-old man was charged with unlawful possession of an illegally manufactured alcoholic beverage, according to news reports by USA Today and The New York Times.
An anonymous tip had been given to the authorities about the illegal operation. After agents and investigators arrived at the treatment plant, Mayor Roger Lingerfelt was contacted and advised of the complaint. Lingerfelt then arrived on scene to allow agents and investigators to proceed in a search of the building.
While conducting the search, agents and investigators located a large amount of illegal alcohol, and a winery that appeared to have been in operation for a long period of time.
Governmental Data Breach Prompts Warning by Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is warning that a massive data breach tied to a hacking campaign in Russia poses a grave risk to government and private networks.
The breach compromised a number of federal agencies and some critical infrastructure, according to CISA. Apparently the hack had long gone undetected and was difficult to uncover. The Department of Energy has confirmed it was among the agencies that were hacked.
An investigation is ongoing.
WWTP Operator Convicted of Data Falsification in Wisconsin
A wastewater treatment plant operator in Marinette County was recently convicted of falsification of records and is sentenced to a $4,853 fine for the misdemeanor offense.
The operator worked at the Village of Wausaukee Wastewater Treatment Plant and failed to perform BOD and TSS tests, instead falsifying the results for required records.
