Jail 'back to normal' after water tainted

Contamination blamed on failure to clean valve repair.

The Cobb County Sher- iff ’s Office says operations are “back to normal” at the Adult Detention Center following an accidental con- tamination of the jail’s water system.

Water quality tests were conducted last week after an inmate at the jail reported an odor in the drinking water. The Cobb County Sheriff ’s Office said that was the result of maintenance crews not completely wiping away lubrication fluid after repairing a valve.

The sheriff ’s office did not release details about what type of lubricant was used or whether it was hazardous to drink, however Sheriff Neil Warren ordered 25 inmates moved to another area of the jail while the department worked to solve the problem.

On Monday, the office did

not explain what steps, if any, were taken to clear the lubrication fluid from the water lines.

The Cobb County-Marietta Water Authority ran comprehensive tests on drinking water samples taken from three cells, county spokesman Ross Cavitt previously told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Results from two samples i ndicate levels of chlorine, E. coli, odor, alkalinity, calcium hardness and residue were all within normal ranges for drinking water, according to information provided by the authority. But in the third cell, the water had a “chemical/earthy” odor and contained a dark brown residue, according to the authority’s written report. The sample tested normal for other aspects of drinking water.

Cobb Sheriff’s Office spokesman Glenn Daniel said on Monday operations at the jail are “back to normal, and the inmates have been moved back into the housing unit where the incident with the water occurred.” News of the jail’s tainted

water propelled the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia, which has already locked horns with Sheriff Warren over several inmate deaths and a monthlong lockdown, to call on the department to perform medical exams on inmates and staff who “may have been infected after consuming toxins in the water.”