The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) released a report on Thursday revealing test results over concerns Stillwater prisoners have about the facility’s water quality.
The report found that, while the water does have elements that have concerned prisoners and their loved ones in the past several weeks, the water is safe to drink. However, the state health department is concerned about degrading quality of the water and called on the Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC), to do something about it.
In early September, amid a record-breaking heat wave, prisoners complained about the lack of air conditioning inside the prison walls, as well as water that tastes like metal. Some prisoners and those formerly incarcerated alleged drinking the water resulted in them developing stomach conditions, which include inflamed stomach lining and an array of cancers as well as conditions affecting their hair and scalps.
The MDH tested the water on September 11, collecting samples from 81 sites throughout the prison. They transported the water to their lab in downtown St. Paul. Lab results confirmed that the water did have metals in it, particularly levels of iron and manganese that did not exceed secondary standards set in the federal Safe Drinking Water Act.
Federal law does not require government entities to do anything to address issues in the secondary standards. However, the Environmental Protection Agency developed the standards to get government entities to clean up their water, because it was worried that people may stop drinking the water, even though it is actually safe to drink.
The report also found Stillwater’s water supply had levels of lead, copper, chlorine and organic compounds that did not exceed federal water standards. The report also mentioned it did not find any levels of coliform, leading the MDH to believe that H. pylori, a bacteria that causes stomach inflammation known as gastritis, would not be found in the water supply.
The report also noted concerns about the water infrastructure at Stillwater and recommended that the DOC notify staff and prisoners about the water report; clean, maintain and flush the building’s water infrastructure; have a licensed plumber inspect the facility’s water pipes; and draft a water management plan.
Meanwhile, activists allege a just-released prisoner was retaliated against who was outspoken about the Stillwater water crisis. They say he was taken into custody for bringing a bottle of tainted water out of Stillwater prison. “He’s in custody because he violated one of his conditions of release, which was to have no contact with a victim,” said DOC spokesperson Andy Skoogman.
The DOC also announced earlier last week that water tested at the Lino Lakes prison yielded elevated levels of lead that exceeded Environmental Protection Agency guidelines. Three of ten testing sites in the bathrooms of “programming” buildings yielded water that had elevated levels of lead. The DOC will provide bottled water for prisoners, with a prisoner reporting that they will receive seven 16.9 oz. bottles of water per day—one at lunch, one at dinner, and five before bedtime.
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