Sex Offenders Sue Over Drinking Water Quality
By Sara Jerome,
@sarmje
At Washington State’s lock-up for violent sex offenders on McNeil Island, residents have a grievance about their living conditions: They say their tap water looks strange, running from the faucet in a dark, coffee color.
Residents of the island’s Special Commitment Center “say being locked up does not mean they should have to bathe in brown, smelly water,” KUOW reported. The center “houses individuals who have been civilly committed after a court has determined them to be sexually violent predators likely to reoffend,” KUOW reported in a previous article.
“When the water runs brown, employees pass out bottled water to the people on the island, sometimes for as long as a week,” the News Tribune of Tacoma, WA, reported.
James Jones, 64, has been committed to the state facility for the last three years.
“I don’t think it’s sufficient for washing your tailbone in it or washing your face for a shave, or getting into the shower,” he said, per the report. “You can’t get into the shower with bottled water.”
Jones filed a federal lawsuit complaining about water quality, facility ventilation, and a lack of hot water. A judge dismissed the suit, but the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals returned the case to District Court, dismissing all the claims except water quality. An additional 28 facility residents have since taken legal action.
At least one employee is also concerned about facility water quality. The employee wrote in an email to overseers: “It doesn’t appear as if the facility cares about the safety of the employees working at [facility].” Jones included this email in the evidence he filed.
The government maintains that the water is safe. “State officials say the water can be discolored, but it is still safe to drink. [Bottled water] is given to residents as a comfort, not out of necessity,” the article said, citing officials.
The state has pointed to testimony from Michael Trust, operator at the facility’s wastewater treatment plant.
“He wrote the water testing complied with federal and state standards, and that discolored water wasn’t hazardous. He said the discoloration was caused when water lines were flushed, heavy equipment went over the lines or fire hydrants were tested,” the report said.
The case is scheduled for a jury trial in December.
To read more about contaminated water visit Water Online’s Drinking Water Contaminant Removal Solutions Center.