The Department of Corrections (DOC) today announced the development of a comprehensive water management protocol plan across all facilities.

“Safe water is essential to the health and well-being of our staff and people we serve,” said DOC Commissioner Paul Schnell. “We are prioritizing the development and implementation of comprehensive water management plans for all Department of Corrections’ facilities,” Schnell added.

As reported last week, the Department of Corrections commissioner asked the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) to conduct additional comprehensive water testing at the Minnesota Correctional Facility (MCF)-Stillwater following concerns over the safety of the facility’s drinking water.

MDH staff collected samples from 81 tap sites at Stillwater, including faucets in living units, the kitchen, programming areas, and a number of staff areas. While MDH is completing its work and is expected to provide a report to DOC later this week, preliminary results have not found any immediate risk associated with the facility’s drinking water. While monthly water testing had previously shown no indication of a health risk in the drinking water at MCF-Stillwater, the commissioner’s objective with the new round of testing was to assure both staff and the incarcerated population that the water is safe to drink. This level of facility water analysis had not happened in the past and exceeds federal and state drinking water sampling requirements.

In a separate development, water samples gathered during routine testing of samples from three of the ten faucets at MCF-Lino Lakes (LL) have been found to have lead content that exceeded the EPA action level. Staff and the incarcerated population were informed earlier today. The three sampling sites in question are bathrooms in programming buildings. The three faucet sites have been secured and are not in living areas or staff break areas.

While the level of lead found in the samples is below the level that would indicate an immediate health concern, health officials say consumption of lead at any level should be avoided. As a precautionary measure, the DOC will provide bottled water for staff and residents while a more comprehensive round of testing takes place. The first shipment of bottled water is anticipated to arrive at MCF-LL this evening.

/doc/assets/leadfactsht_tcm1089-592467.pdfAttached is a fact sheet from MDH that provides useful information regarding lead in drinking water. There have been no reports of water-related illnesses among staff or the incarcerated population at MCF-Stillwater or MCF-Lino Lakes.

“Aging infrastructure is a challenge across our state and will continue to pose a risk without recognition and investments,” said Commissioner Schnell. Given the age of most DOC facilities, the essential importance of safe water, and to provide transparency around water quality at DOC facilities across the state, the commissioner has directed the following action steps:

1. Develop, implement, and initiate a comprehensive water testing protocol to be done at all DOC correctional facilities within the next 45 days.

2. Implement the contracting procedure to hire a qualified contractor within 4 weeks to develop a water management plan for each DOC correctional facility starting with MCF-Lino Lakes and Stillwater.

3. Posting the Minnesota Department of Health Consumer Confidence Reports pertaining to water quality for each DOC correctional facility on the DOC’s public website on or before the end of the day on 9/20.

4. Establishment, recruitment, and hiring of an Industrial Hygienist position to give exclusive focus to water, air, and other environmental health concerns.