Sheriff: water issues at downtown El Paso County jail after main break

EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — The El Paso County Downtown jail has been experiencing water issues since Tuesday.

According to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, a water main break in Downtown El Paso triggered issues at the jail.

Even though the water main break was repaired, as of Wednesday afternoon, the Sheriff’s Office said the jail still has water pressure issues, adding that maintenance crews are working to restore the service “as quickly as possible.”

KFOX14/CBS4 has received calls from people saying that inmates have been without drinking water and not allowed to use the restroom since Tuesday.

However, the Sheriff’s Office has called those reports “inaccurate,” saying that inmates have been using the restroom with jail staff delivering water to flush the toilets.

Furthermore, the Sheriff’s Office said portable restrooms have been brought for staff and that El Paso Water delivered pallets of water bottles for inmates.

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Below is the Sheriff’s Office’s full statement:

Since yesterday, the El Paso County Downtown Detention Facility has been experiencing water service issues after a City of El Paso water main break in the area. While the water main has since been repaired, the facility is currently dealing with a pressure regulator issue. Our Maintenance Division is actively working to restore normal water service as quickly as possible.We want to clarify that reports claiming inmates are not being allowed to use the restroom or do not have access to drinking water are inaccurate. Inmates have continued to use the restroom, and staff have been delivering water to housing areas to flush toilets as needed.To ensure the needs of everyone in the facility are met, portable restrooms have been brought in for staff, El Paso Water has delivered pallets of bottled water for inmates, and we are working with our partners, including the Texas Division of Emergency Management, to secure additional resources to bring in water while repairs are underway.The safety and well-being of those in our custody and our staff remain our top priority, and we appreciate the assistance from our partner agencies as we work to resolve the issue.

KFOX14/CBS4 has reached out EPWater to learn more about the main break.

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