After the public resignation of Aberdeen’s water treatment plant superintendent, questions are being asked about the facility he deems “ready to fail,” though city officials say there are no safety compliance issues at the plant.
Bob Braun has been a water superintendent with the city of Aberdeen since 2017, but that tenure came to a very sudden end at the most recent city council meeting.
“Let me put it this way, this is my notice," Braun said. "I don’t care anymore, I’m not allowed to do anything at the plant, I’ve been demoted to quality control tech, and why should I care anymore to guarantee that plant? The current staff, you’ve got one faking the lab work, you’ve got incompetence in maintenance.”
Braun alleged city officials stopped his efforts to fire the employee doctoring results.
“We’ve had unqualified staff," Braun said. "I haven’t had any real authority over my employees since May of 2021. That is when I brought to the city’s attention of an employee faking the lab work. I was not allowed to fire that employee, I was not allowed to set up a system to further catch him on video, other than the few records that we’ve had. Guess what – he’s still faking it to this day.”
The primary focus of Braun’s grievances is city manager Joe Gaa, who Braun alleges has fostered an unhealthy work environment. Gaa has not returned request for comment.
In a statement, Aberdeen mayor Travis Schaunaman said representatives from the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources have assessed the plant and found drinking water to meet regulatory requirements. It goes on to say the allegations of doctored testing did not concern compliance with safe drinking water standards
In a statement, a spokesperson from the state DANR said there is currently no evidence of public health concern or treatment plant failure.