Doug Stanglin

USA TODAY

Forget toxic waste dumps, the Environmental Protection Agency apparently has a more immediate cleanup problem in its own backyard: An employee defecating in the hallway.

GovernmentExecutive.com, the government's business news daily and key website for federal managers and executives, reported Wednesday that the EPA management for Region 8 in Denver sent an e-mail earlier this month to staff pleading to stop inappropriate bathroom behavior, including defecating in the hallway.

In the e-mail, obtained by Government Executive, Deputy Regional Administrator Howard Cantor noted "several incidents" in the building, including clogging the toilets with paper towels and "an individual placing feces in the hallway" outside the restroom.

"Management is taking this situation very seriously and will take whatever actions are necessary to identify and prosecute these individuals," Cantor wrote.

EPA spokesman Richard Mylott told Government Executive in a statement that the agency could not comment on "ongoing personnel matters."