by JENN WOOD
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A South Carolina wastewater plant manager has pleaded guilty to a federal environmental crime after investigators uncovered years of sewage discharges into the Little Saluda River — as well as manipulated samples and falsified records used to conceal the plant’s failures.
John Lorick, 45, of Ninety-Six, S.C. pleaded guilty to knowingly violating a wastewater discharge permit issued under the Clean Water Act, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina.
Lorick served as senior manager of the Saluda Commission of Public Works and lead operator of the Town of Saluda Wastewater Treatment Plant. Federal charging documents (.pdf) describe a pattern of broken equipment left unrepaired, untreated sewage released into the river and compliance records that concealed what was happening at the facility.
One sewage bypass on July 27–28, 2025, killed approximately 1,529 fish, which were observed about a mile downstream from the plant, according to prosecutors.
The criminal information, filed September 2, 2026, charged Lorick with a single count covering conduct beginning in or before January 2022 and continuing through July 2025.
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The plant’s state-issued permit allowed it to discharge properly treated municipal wastewater into the Little Saluda River. That authorization came with requirements governing pollutant levels, equipment maintenance, sludge disposal and reporting to regulators.
According to the filing, employees had warned Lorick by December 2023 — or earlier — that the plant’s wastewater was not being adequately chlorinated. Chlorine treatment was necessary to reduce E. coli bacteria before the wastewater entered the river.
Prosecutors say Lorick neither repaired the system nor notified regulators. Instead, he instructed at least one employee to make entries in the operator log indicating the chlorine disinfection system was working properly.
The charging document also describes efforts to manipulate the samples used to measure compliance.
From in or before January 2022 through January 2025, Lorick diluted samples with tap water or poured off liquid to keep sludge from reaching the sample bottles sent to a laboratory, according to the filing. He also falsified discharge monitoring reports to conceal elevated E. coli concentrations.
The problems extended to the plant’s handling of sewage sludge — the semi-solid material separated from wastewater during treatment.
According to prosecutors, the belt press used to remove water from sludge stopped functioning in or before January 2022. Lorick knew the equipment was broken but did not repair it or arrange another acceptable method of removing the sludge.
The plant’s permit required sludge to be removed and disposed of at a permitted landfill. Instead, prosecutors say Lorick and employees acting under his direction routinely allowed it to accumulate until it discharged into the river. From approximately 2022 through March 2025, discharging sludge into the water became the plant’s primary disposal method, according to the filing.
Separately, the plant used a bypass to discharge untreated sewage approximately 10 to 12 times a year, beginning in or before 2023, because of operational failures, malfunctions or excess water entering the system. Lorick knew the bypasses were occurring but did not report them to state regulators, prosecutors said.
During the July 2025 incident, a blockage in the plant’s incoming wastewater chamber sent untreated sewage through an unpermitted bypass channel and into the river.
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John Lorick, 45, of Ninety-Six, has pleaded guilty to violating a permit issued under the Clean Water Act. ? https://t.co/9mamJrvKWX https://t.co/nDPsW71F0G
— U.S. Attorney SC (@USAO_SC) October 30, 2026
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“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 said in a statement announcing the plea.
Charles Carfagno, special agent in charge of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) criminal enforcement program in South Carolina, said Lorick’s conduct combined treatment failures with efforts to evade detection.
“The defendant not only completely failed to treat sewage many times but also falsified records and reports to hide these failures,” Carfagno said.
Lorick faces up to three years in federal prison, a fine ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 for each day of violation, and one year of supervised release. Those are the potential penalties; his sentence has not been determined.
Under his plea agreement, Lorick also agreed to make full restitution in an amount to be determined at sentencing, including compensation to identifiable victims harmed by his pattern of criminal activity. The agreement does not specify a restitution amount or identify particular victims.
U.S. District Court Chief Judge Sherri A. Lydon accepted the plea and will sentence Lorick after reviewing a presentence report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office, according to the release. Neither the release nor the supplied filings identifies a sentencing date.
The EPA and the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (SCDES) investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Winston Holliday is prosecuting it. Lorick is represented by attorney Deborah Barbier, according to the plea agreement.
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THE PLEA AGREEMENT…
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
As a private investigator turned journalist, Jenn Wood brings a unique skill set to FITSNews as its research director. Known for her meticulous sourcing and victim-centered approach, she helps shape the newsroom’s most complex investigative stories while producing the FITSFiles and Cheer Incorporated podcasts. Jenn lives in South Carolina with her family, where her work continues to spotlight truth, accountability, and justice.
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