National Water Main Cleaning Company (NWMC) agreed to pay a $650,000 settlement after it allegedly submitted false bills and records on municipal contracts, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley announced on Tuesday.
The environmental services cleaning company allegedly submitted false claims for public contracts on storage tank, sewer and catch basin maintenance, cleaning and repair. This is in violation of the False Claims Act.
The company also allegedly discharged wastewater and sewage illegally, which violates the Massachusetts Clean Waters Act.
The claims were allegedly submitted to Waltham, Framingham, and the Boston Water and Sewer Commission.
“Our office will vigorously pursue companies that submit false and inflated bills and records to public entities in order to increase their own profit,” Coakley said. “It is disappointing that a company dedicated to environmental services violated state laws designed to ensure a clean and safe environment. NWMC has agreed to put measures in place to prevent this from happening again.”
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection also aided in the investigation.
“Sewage, sludge and polluted wastewater must be disposed of at treatment facilities, where these materials can be properly filtered and cleansed,” Commissioner David W. Cash, of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, said. “Dumping these materials onto the ground can cause pollutants to seep into groundwater and adversely impact the integrity of aquifers. This Clean Waters Act case sends the message that it pays to manage waste materials properly.”