Woman Indicted For Forging Bacteria Test Results On Southern AZ Drinking Water Samples

A State Grand Jury indicted Karen L. Hartwell for allegedly altering water sample test results. Hartwell is accused of changing test results for drinking water samples that tested positive for bacteria.

Hartwell is facing felony charges of Fraudulent Schemes & Practices and Forgery.

Hartwell allegedly altered 13 drinking water test results for 6 different southern Arizona water districts that were clients of her company, YL Tech. The State alleges Hartwell then submitted the altered results to the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. It is alleged that in each of the 13 altered test results, Hartwell modified the testing paperwork with a computer program to replace a positive coliform test result with a negative result. Coliform is a category of bacteria that drinking water quality rules require be tested for on a monthly basis.