Testimony in Papuga Trial Could Finish Thursday

WORCESTER — Scientists, lab technicians, public safety officials and Milford Water Company employees have all testified this week in the trial of former Water Company manager Henry Papuga.

The testimony is expected to be completed Thursday, with closing arguments tentatively set for Thursday afternoon.

 State prosecutors contend he was under so much pressure to put a stop to the boil water order of August 2009, that he intentionally tampered with a round of water samples to make sure they came out "clean."

The boil water order required 27,000 residential and business customers of the Water Company to boil water before consuming or using it, and was ordered on Aug. 9, 2009 by the state DEP after the drinking water showed evidence of bacterial contamination.

On Wednesday, the third day of testimony, witnesses related events that occurred on Aug. 15 and 16, 2009. Witnesses included Jeff Papuga, the son of Henry Papuga, who also worked at the Water Company; Vera Sue Taylor, a senior chemist at Alpha Lab, where the samples were first analyzed; Jason Trepanier, a then-supervisor at the Water Co., who said he delivered three new samples to the lab on Aug. 16, as well as three older ones he said Papuga had given him; and Oscar C. Pancorbo, director of the state Department of Enviornmental Protection's lab.

Taylor, who first started to analyze the water samples the afternoon of Aug. 15, testified that on opening the container, she smelled a strong odor, "something that was just, very strong." When she applied an agent to the water, used to detect the presence of bacteria, four of the samples turned color, which was not supposed to happen.

She said she told Papuga what had happened the next day, when he was dropping off another round of water samples, and told him she thought it could have been a result of additional chlorination in the system, which was taking place to kill the bacteria.

Trepanier testified that on Aug. 16, 2009, a Sunday when he was working, Papuga asked him to meet him on Purchase Street, to take three samples. He testified that Papuga told him three samples taken there previously "were bad." He said Papuga gave him the three samples, and he was told to take three new ones, then took all of them back to the lab.

Testimony is expected to continue this morning with Dr. Pancorbo, but is expected to be completed this afternoon.