The Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) said that field staff from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) drinking water program collected water samples Monday at Minnesota Correctional Facility (MCF)-Stillwater. The commissioner of corrections on Saturday asked the MDH to conduct additional and more comprehensive water testing at MCF-Stillwater than is typically done on a routine basis.

The commissioner’s objective with the new round of testing and lab analysis is to assure staff and the incarcerated population that the water is safe to drink, said DOC spokesperson Andy Skoogman, who added that annual and monthly water testing by the MDH and a third-party lab have shown no indication of a health risk in the drinking water at MCF-Stillwater.

Skoogman said DOC and MDH staff worked closely to develop a comprehensive water testing plan that included collecting water samples from 84 sites throughout the prison, including faucets in living units, the facility’s kitchen, programming areas, the chapel and a number of staff areas. This kind of analysis of the facility’s water has not happened in the past and exceeds federal and state drinking water sampling requirements.

The MDH will analyze the samples for contaminants, including bacteria, metals and total suspended solids. The source of the water to the facility is a set of two wells. The DOC expects MDH to complete its laboratory analysis by the beginning of next week.

Skoogman said the results of the testing will help the DOC identify and implement a longer-term water management strategy.

While the DOC waits for the MDH lab test results, the agency has brought in bottled water for staff and incarcerated individuals. Skoogman reiterated that there have been no reports of water-related illnesses among staff or the incarcerated population at MCF-Stillwater.