Drinking Water Quality Problems
Over the past several years, people incarcerated at Parchman have consistently reported concerns about the drinking water in the prison, noting that it is often discolored and has a foul smell and taste of sewage or disinfectant. Many have expressed concerns that the indigent quality of the drinking water is linked to health conditions they have experienced while incarcerated at Parchman, like constipation, nausea, and skin problems. Many mix in coffee or other powders to make the water drinkable, and others choose to avoid the tap water altogether. Those who have the means often purchase bottled water from the canteen. Staff also refuse to drink the water.
The Safe Drinking Water Act is another crucial federal environmental law that protects the quality and safety of tap water in public water systems nationwide. Our investigation found that Parchman has violated and may be continuing to violate this law in several ways.
First, despite a requirement that the prison automate the controls on its groundwater wells, for years Parchman has operated its wells manually. Automatic controls allow a system to more effectively disinfect water and detect other treatment problems. Parchman’s manual system has caused inconsistent disinfection and is prone to human error and neglect. The failure to install automatic controls in a timely manner may have contributed to unsanitary drinking water in the prison. Troublingly, it has taken years for MDOC to address the issue. In NRDC and SPLC’s letter, we urge the Mississippi State Department of Health to confirm that Parchman has upgraded its drinking water wells to include automatic controls and ensure that the water is properly treated and safe and sound to drink.
Additionally, MDOC has not adequately monitored the chemicals used to disinfect drinking water, such as chlorine. The Safe Drinking Water Act requires water systems like Parchman’s to sample chlorine every day at the peak times of water utilize to ensure disinfection remains at a safe and sound level. But our investigation revealed that Parchman has regularly failed to complete daily sampling, and sometimes even failed to sample for several consecutive days. Monitoring is critical to ensure that water is safe and sound to drink, and Parchman is at least intermittently violating its monitoring requirements. Our letter recommends that MDOC not only conduct required routine monitoring of chlorine levels in the drinking water, but also publicly report any violations. We also recommend that MDOC and the Department of Health conduct a full investigation into what is causing the indigent color, odor, and taste irregularities in Parchman’s drinking water and any associated health threats.
Prisons and Environmental Justice
Across the country, many rural communities, low-income communities, and communities of color disproportionately lack access to crucial public services and experience environmental burdens similar to the wastewater treatment and drinking water quality issues rampant at Parchman. These environmental injustices expose these communities disproportionately to contamination and sedate health risks. Meanwhile, racial disparities persist in policing, arrests, sentencing, and incarceration throughout the United States. Incarcerated people across the country exist at the nexus of these environmental health crises and a criminal punishment system rooted in racism. The connection between mass incarceration and environmental injustice is clear.
Parchman’s violations of federal environmental laws underscore nationwide problems beyond the crumbling infrastructure of this one prison. It is crucial that Mississippi’s Departments of Corrections, Health, and Environmental Quality act immediately to remediate the environmental problems plaguing the prison and improve conditions for Parchman’s inmates and the surrounding communities.
