Consulting Company To Pay $57M Over Falsifying Soil Tests At SF Naval Shipyard: DOJ

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Tetra Tech, an engineering consulting company, reached a $57 million settlement to resolve claims that it had falsified soil tests at Hunters Point Naval Shipyard in San Francisco, federal prosecutors said.

The United States Navy contracted Tetra Tech to investigate the soil and buildings at the shipyard between 2003 and 2014 for any signs of excessive radiation, according to the Department of Justice.

Instead, officials at Tetra Tech told field technicians to throw away soil samples from potentially contaminated areas and replace them with "clean soil" to meet requirements, according to federal prosecutors.

Tetra Tech also intentionally manipulated scan results in its database, authorities said, adding that the company was trying to maximize profit by "avoiding obligations to perform additional remediation work."

Tetra Tech did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Patch.

The testing done at Hunters Point Naval Shipyard has been critical for community members and the federal government, according to authorities.

Federal prosecutors said the work should have been "just as important" to Tetra Tech.

"We expect companies contracting with the government to do business honestly and fairly," Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division said in a statement on Monday. "This settlement demonstrates the Department’s continuing commitment to hold accountable those who fail to fulfill their responsibilities in providing services to the U.S. military."

Tetra Tech previously agreed to pay another $40 million to the federal government under a separate settlement under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, authorities said.

It's unclear whether Tetra Tech will assume any liability as part of the settlement.