MDH gathers water samples inside Stillwater prison following protests from inmates, advocates
BAYPORT, Minn. — Drinking water samples have been collected from Minnesota Correctional Facility - Stillwater after inmates recently protested water quality and other conditions inside the century-old facility in Bayport.
The Minnesota Department of Corrections announced Tuesday that field staff with the Minnesota Department of Health's drinking water program conducted "additional and more comprehensive" testing.
RELATED: Stillwater Prison put on lockdown after about 100 inmates refused to re-enter cells for 7 hours
Samples were gathered from 84 sites within the facility, including living unit faucets, the main kitchen, the chapel, and in 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," said DOC spokesperson Andy Skoogman.
The DOC says the facility draws water from two wells, and it will be tested for "bacteria, metals and total suspended solids." The results are expected to be in by early next week.
Skoogman says there have been no indications of health risks from the water in previous testing, and there have been no reports in the past of inmates or staff members suffering from water-related illnesses.
He says bottled water is on hand for inmates and staff as the DOC awaits the results, and works to figure out a long-term water filtration solution.
"We recognize there are sediments in the well water which can at times affect clarity with a reddish-brown tint ... Although the water may be unclear, it has not been deemed unsafe through the routine third-party water testing," Skoogman said in a previous statement.
RELATED: "We are human beings": Former Stillwater inmate reflects on water quality concerns
Marvina Haynes, an inmate advocate and sister of Stillwater inmate Marvin Haynes, told WCCO that inmates have been using "things like their socks to filter the water," and inmates' clothing have been stained in the past after going through the facility's laundry system.
More than 100 inmates in the facility's B East unit refused to return to their cells for about seven hours on Sunday, Sept. 3 in protest of several issues, including insufficient staffing levels that have regularly resulted in limited access to recreation time, showers and phone use. The protest during Labor Day weekend was also in response to the sweltering heat inside the 99-year-old facility, which has no climate control system.
Inmate advocates are calling on the DOC to make the staffing crisis a top priority. MCF-Stillwater currently houses about 1,200 inmates.
NOTE: The video above is from Sept. 11, 2023.
