Hundreds of people imprisoned in the Kalamazoo County Jail, as well as staff, have been using bottled water since March because of elevated copper levels in drinking water, Kalamazoo County officials said recently.
Officials say upon receiving test results in March, the Sheriff’s Office shut off drinking water sources within the facility and began providing bottled water to both inmates and staff.
Despite flushing the system, stagnant water samples, which represent worst-case conditions, were tested several times and did not support returning to normal drinking use as of Wednesday, May 6.
“Based on the data collected to date, the issue appears to be the jail’s internal plumbing infrastructure and elevated copper levels, rather than the municipal water supply itself,” Kalamazoo County said in a release.
Officials say jail staff or county officials aren’t aware of confirmed illnesses directly related to water conditions.
Based on current guidance from Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), the facility remains safe to occupy and operate, the county said.
“MDHHS advised that prolonged consumption of water with elevated copper levels could potentially cause gastrointestinal issues, which is why the bottled water precautions remain in place,” the county said. “Water remains safe for handwashing, showering, and food preparation.
“Water is distributed with each meal, and additional bottles are available throughout the day upon request. To maintain safety and manage waste within the facility, water is distributed using an exchange system, where empty bottles are returned for full ones,” the county said.
The county on May 6 said it was installing a water filtration systems throughout the jail. Following installation of the system, Kalamazoo County Environmental Health will conduct another round of sampling to evaluate the effectiveness of the filtration measures with results returned in late May or early June.
“Right now, the focus is on mitigation, continued testing, and identifying the most appropriate path forward based on expert guidance,” county officials said.
The Kalamazoo County Jail “regularly supervises over 400 inmates,” the Sheriff’s Office website says.
Jalen Williams is a trending reporter at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at jawilliams1@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Kalamazoo County finds copper in jail water, switches to bottles
Reporting by Jalen Williams, USA TODAY NETWORK / Detroit Free Press
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