Water Commission Fined More than $400,000 by DEP

State environmental officials have issued more than $400,000 in penalties against a northern New Jersey water commission accused of conspiring to hide elevated levels of an industrial solvent in drinking water.

The Department of Environmental Protection announced the fines against the East Orange Water Commission on Tuesday. It says the commission tampered with test results from 2010 to 2012.

Two water commission officials were charged in February with conspiracy, records tampering and unlawfully releasing toxic pollutants. They also face multiple counts of official misconduct and charges they violated state environmental laws.

The water authority serves about 90,000 customers in East Orange and South Orange, which are adjacent to Newark in Essex County.

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