The state has accused a former operator for the Anacortes city water system and another operator for a small water system in the Birdsview area each of gross negligence and revoked their credentials.

Eugene M. Oppe was fired from the Anacortes Water Treatment Plant this past May after he was allegedly caught recording false readings of natural fluoride levels in the water. The Anacortes system serves about 56,000 people in Anacortes and Oak Harbor.

Oppe couldn’t be reached for comment as of press time Tuesday.

Marcia Zankich lost her job in May 2006 from the Shangri La Community Club for allegedly failing to take required readings of nitrate and fecal coliform levels for the water system that serves at least 25 households. She said she is fighting revocation of her certification.

The alleged violations would have a minimal, if any, affect on public health, said Chris McCord, a water compliance coordinator with the state Department of Health’s Office of Drinking Water.

Oppe’s and Zankich’s respective certifications are revoked for a year. State officials made the decision in late June and released the information to the media Tuesday after notifying Zankich and Oppe by certified mail.

As a result of the revocation, neither can hold jobs requiring water system operator certification. To restore their respective certifications, they must pass the state water system operator certification test.

Oppe was accused of recording false readings of natural fluoride without first testing the untreated water, according to the state health department. The daily measurement is because the city adds fluoride to its the drinking water for 6,500 households in Anacortes, state official said. That measurement allows the plant to ensure the fluoride concentration remains at a safe level, state officials said.

Naturally occurring fluoride occurs in small amounts in the Skagit River, from which Anacortes’ water plant draws its water, McCord said.

Zankich was accused of failing to take the annual nitrate samples for 2003 and 2005 and failing to test for coliform bacteria in May 2004 and March 2005, McCord said. Monitoring nitrate is important because higher levels can affect infants’ health, he said.

There is no indication that nitrates or coliform levels were high during that time, McCord said.

Additionally, Zankich is accused of failing to monitor for lead and copper in the water from 2001 to 2003, according to the notice of intention to revoke. She’s also accused of not filing reports which inform the public of their water quality.

Zankich countered that she didn’t work for the community water service when the alleged violations in 2000 to 2002 occurred, and took orders from two other water directors from 2003 to 2006. Additionally, she said she submitted the reports but believes they were misfiled, possibly because of transposed numbers.

“I wasn’t an operator for the time they said,” Zankich said.

Mike Cucchetti, Shangri La secretary and former president, said he filed the complaint after finding problems with the system after Zankich was fired.

“She just wouldn’t follow any orders,” Cucchetti said.