CLARKSBURG, W.Va. – The co-owner and manager of Reliance Laboratories, Inc., in Bridgeport, has admitted to violating the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Clean Water Act.
According to court documents, Tenley Megan Miller, 42, of Bridgeport, was the owner of Reliance Laboratories, Inc., a company that provided public drinking water testing consistent with the Safe Drinking Water Act. In May 2021, the City of Martinsburg sent water samples to Reliance Laboratories for testing, and Miller reported that the samples were tested and were safe. Investigators then discovered that Miller did not test the samples because her laboratory equipment was not operational. The City of Martinsburg then reported the false test results to the State of West Virginia as required by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations.
Miller entered a guilty plea to making a false representation in a matter within the jurisdiction of the Environmental Protection Agency. She faces up to five years in prison and a fine of no more than $250,000.
“The defendant in this case knowingly submitted falsified water analysis results, jeopardizing the health and safety of the impacted communities,” said Special Agent in Charge Nic Evans of the EPA’s Office of Inspector General. “Today’s guilty plea demonstrates the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Inspector General’s commitment to holding accountable those who attempt to undermine the laws designed to protect the safety of the public’s drinking water supply.”
The Environmental Protection Agency Office of Inspector General and the Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigations Department investigated.