SAN DIEGO -- The operator of an East County water system that serves 138 customers pleaded guilty Tuesday to a felony for falsely assuring county officials that the water was safe to drink.

Nazar Najor could be sentenced to probation or up to three years in prison and a fine up to $25,000 when he is sentenced Dec. 7.

Najor pleaded guilty to altering an official record that, by law, is required to be maintained. He submitted a report that said the water was OK to drink, when it was really contaminated with bacteria.

The plea, according to Deputy District Attorney Karen Doty, ensures that the 138 customers of the Live Oak Springs water system "have a clean and safe water source."

Judge Robert F. O'Neill told Najor he would consider a motion to reduce the conviction to a misdemeanor if, by the time of sentencing, the defendant legally digs a new well and destroys or converts a second well to an active irrigation source.

In late October 2005, Najor submitted a required lab report to the county showing that the Live Oak Springs water system was free from bacteria.

Shortly after Najor submitted his report, the county submitted its own report, indicating the water system was contaminated, Doty said.

After learning there was bacteria in the water, county officials ordered Najor to advise customers to boil it before drinking it or to drink bottled water.

Najor's Live Oak Springs restaurant was temporarily closed as well.