Harris County Jail works to fix water supply to avoid having inmates bathe with bottled water

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The Harris County Jail has improved this year, but a water supply issue has worried state lawmakers and advocates.

Since Deborah Smith's daughter died in Harris County Jail, the facility's conditions have been at the forefront of her mind.

The facility is now compliant with the state after the sheriff's office made new hires and retained staff. Last year, it had around 180 unfilled positions, but now it's down to 99.

However, despite the developments, Smith told county commissioners this week that she was worried again.

"I see some improvement," Smith said. "I have to give you guys credit, but I'm upset about something I heard last week."

At the Texas Commission of Jail Standards meeting last week, jail staff told leaders there's a water tank problem.

If it fails, they must turn to water trucks or bottled water.

"I cannot believe he said that. His answer was they use bottled water to bathe their skin," Smith said. "I'm hoping they're not cooking anything there. That's unsanitary if they don't have running water. What is going on?"

The Harris County Sheriff's Office said elevated iron levels were found in a tank at the 701 San Jacinto facility six months ago. Although they say the levels were safe, they took the tank offline.

They are working to fix it, but repairs are still not finished. The sheriff's office said no inmate has had to use bottled water for bathing.

The issue is also concerning some state lawmakers. A month ago, Sen. Paul Bettencourt sent a letter warning state leaders about rust causing health issues.

Water in the jail isn't the only concern for state correctional leaders. They're also worried about the inmates who aren't in the county facilities.

More than a thousand inmates have been shipped out of the county because of staffing issues. Some as far away as Mississippi.

The sheriff's office said it doesn't want to outsource, but because of staff, it can't take them back.

"We'd like to get everybody in the Houston mobile, if not in Houston," HCSO Asst. Chief Philip Bosquez told state leaders last week.

Outsourcing inmates cost taxpayers $21 million last year. This year, $52 million is budgeted.

To lower the inmate population, three new courts started last month.

"We expect that to start coming down the first quarter of the calendar year," Harris County Justice Innovation Tonya Mills said to state leaders.

The sheriff's office is working on improvements, including new deputies, returning inmates, and fixing the water supply.

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