Photo by Justin Shuck.

A Georgia man who managed a company hired by the National Park Service to clean the storm water sewer system on the National Mall has admitted to illegally dumping the waste into the Potomac River.

According to a release, 48-year-old Patrick Brightwell pleaded guilty today to one count of violating the Clean Water Act by dumping waste into the Potomac River between 2009 and 2011—a federal offense that carries up to a 57-month prison sentence and a fine of up to $75,000. Additionally, Brightwell agreed to pay the NPS $270,667 in “restitution…representing the losses for the work that was not properly performed.”

Brightwell, who managed a company that was contracted by the NPS to clean the National Mall’s storm water sewer system, orchestrated the dumping of waste into the East Potomac Park—an entry point into the Potomac River system. According to court reports, Brightwell’s company used a vacuum truck to remove waste from the Mall and then, when the truck was full, would empty it “into a storm drain near a parking lot in East Potomac Park, across Ohio Drive from the Potomac River.” Brightwell admitted to concealing this from the NPS and police.

According to Brightwell’s statement of admission, his employees and subcontractors “illegally dumped waste at the parking lot approximately two-thirds of the time, and dumped the waste at a proper disposal facility in Fort Washington, Md., about one-third of the time.”

“Patrick Brightwell harmed the U.S. taxpayer and our nation’s capital by directing his workers to dump waste in the Potomac River,” U.S. Attorney Ron Machen said in a release. “Instead of fulfilling a contract to take waste from the National Mall to a disposal facility, Brightwell polluted our water by telling his employees to cut corners regardless of the damage to our environment. The prison time that Brightwell now faces is an indication of how serious we are about enforcing the Clean Water Act.”

Brightwell’s sentencing is scheduled for September 3.