A wastewater manager faces 3 years in prison for hiding 3 years of E. coli contamination from SC

COLUMBIA — A South Carolina wastewater treatment plant manager pleaded guilty to federal Clean Water Act violations for concealing E. coli contamination.

John Lorick, senior manager for the Saluda Commission of Public Works, entered a guilty plea in federal court Thursday. He faces a maximum penalty of three years in federal prison and fines between $5,000 and $50,000 per violation.

Investigators found the 45-year-old from Ninety-Six diluted water samples to hide E. coli levels elevated due to an inoperative chlorination system.

On dozens of occasions over more than three years, the town of Saluda’s plant released raw, untreated sewage directly into the Little Saluda River, which flows into Lake Murray.

“The defendant not only completely failed to treat sewage many times but also falsified records and reports to hide these failures. EPA will ensure that those who endanger public health and lie to the government to evade detection of their wrongdoing are found out and held accountable,” Charles Carfagno, special agent in charge of EPA’s criminal enforcement program in South Carolina, said in a statement.

The town of Saluda has a permit allowing the plant to release of set levels of pollutants, but without a working chlorination system, the E. coli levels violated that permit.

Lorick knowingly allowed this to happen 10 to 12 times a year between 2022 and March 2025, federal prosecutors said. One such release, which occurred from July 27-28, 2025, killed approximately 1,529 fish about a mile downstream from the plant, leading to the investigation.

“South Carolina’s natural resources are one of the many gems of our state. Lorick’s actions were harmful to the environment, the wildlife that rely on the Little Saluda River and potentially anyone who recreated in the water,” U.S. Attorney Bryan Stirling for South Carolina said in a statement.

Lorick took no steps to repair the system or notify regulators of the issue.

“The intentional pollution of our state’s natural resources, especially our essential water resources, can never be tolerated,” Myra Reece, the director of the state Department of Environmental Services, said in a statement.

United States District Court Chief Judge Sherri Lydon accepted the guilty plea and will sentence Lorick at a later date.

Lorick’s plea came in the same week that York County officials reported a massive sewage spill into Lake Wylie. The spill happened Oct. 26, after a pump station overflowed, dumping 500,000 gallons of sewage into Little Allison Creek on the southwest end of the lake.

Unlike Lorick, however, county staff reported the issue to state environmental regulators.