GRANITE — More than 1,000 inmates and employees of an Oklahoma prison were without running water Sunday and Monday, leaving toilets unable to flush on their own and few showers available to use.
The Oklahoma Department of Corrections reported a water tower at Oklahoma State Reformatory in Granite was discovered to be empty Sunday night.
Department spokesman Matthew Elliot said several pumps at a municipal water treatment plant were malfunctioning, which officials believe caused the issue.
As the tower’s water level dropped, so did water pressure inside the prison, causing every toilet to flush until the tower was empty.
The Oklahoma State Reformatory houses 1,028 prisoners.
The Corrections Department said they have access to drinking water with the use of two portable thousand-gallon water tanks.
“No issues are anticipated with drinking water for inmates or essential facility operations.
“The facility’s kitchen has running water, and food production has not been impacted.
“Staff are locating portable showers to use possibly tomorrow as the outage is likely to continue.
Some showers are operational at the facility, so inmates on work crews and food service can clean up.” The Oklahoma State Reformatory is 110 years old and is just one of Oklahoma’s aging prisons.