They say that because of a leak, a prison building has not had running water that is safe for bathing and drinking.
DOC Water was briefly cut off to the East Canon Complex near Canon City on Thursday while workers fixed a leak, according to officials. The Colorado State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) and nonprofits were called to help with the issue. Officials from the SEOC say they were no longer needed on Friday because it looked like the repairs were going ahead of plan.
The DOC says that about 4,700 prisoners and 622 staff members have been affected. There are four jails in the East Canon Complex, which is located off of Highway 50 in the same area.
Some people called 11 News to say they were worried about the health and hygiene of DOC workers and prisoners. Amberly, who didn’t want her last name to be used, says that her son is an affected inmate.
“This is going to make people sick. There might be trouble. She said, “Not having water could lead to a lot of bad things.” “Yes, these people in prison did something wrong, but they are being treated worse than an animal would be, and people who treat animals badly go to jail… I’m afraid for my son’s safety… “That is awful and disgusting.”
DOC According to the most recent report on Friday evening, water was restored Thursday night so that bathrooms could flush. However, the water is still being tested to see if it is safe for bathing and drinking. At first, officials said they thought it would take three to four days from the start of the problem for the water to be back on.
