Private prison holding 610 Idaho inmates temporarily had no running water in pandemic
The private prison in Eagle Pass, Texas, that is home to 610 Idaho offenders lost all water pressure on Friday evening when a nearby water main broke.
The Idaho Department of Correction confirmed that the facility lost water pressure at around 5:30 p.m. Friday at the Eagle Pass Correctional Facility. IDOC spokesman Jeff Ray said the inmates were immediately provided bottled water.
Eagle Pass Correctional Facility is a 620-bed medium-custody prison owned by GEO Group. The prison is under contract with IDOC due to the lack of available bed space in Idaho prisons. The Texas facility holds only Idaho offenders.
After losing water pressure “the Eagle Pass Fire Department was contacted in order to retain a water tank,” Ray wrote in an email.
City officials in Eagle Pass provided about 40,000 gallons of water from the tower to the facility, according to IDOC. The facility provided bottled water throughout the evening and following day. The inmates were also provided buckets of water to use to flush the toilets.
At 1 p.m. Saturday, a county official said the water main was fixed. By 3:30 p.m., the facility began to receive water pressure, and maintenance and security staff walked the building to ensure that there were no leaks or other damage, according to Ray’s statement.
“The inmates were served sack lunches for their noon meal, but regular hot meal service was provided for supper,” according to IDOC. “It took a while for the pressure to catch up but was all back to normal by Saturday night at (9 p.m.).“
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has repeatedly said hand washing for at least 20 seconds is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus.
As of 8 a.m. Monday, IDOC was reporting that six people at the Eagle Pass facility had been tested for the coronavirus and all had tested negative. None of the IDOC prisons, including the Texas facility, are allowing visitors. IDOC has been sending Idaho offenders to the Texas prison since 2018.
According to the Texas Department of Health and Human Services, Texas has seen 19,458 confirmed cases of coronavirus, as of Monday. That includes 12 cases in Maverick County, home to the Eagle Pass prison.
