Water To Be Shut Off For Repairs At The Oklahoma County Detention Center

Water will be shut off at the Oklahoma County Detention Center Thursday morning.

This is for repairs that administrators say are necessary.

According to a statement from jail administrators, repairs on the facility are expected to begin around 3:30 a.m. and be completed by 11 a.m. They say they will be finished before the end of the day and that water should be off for no more than eight hours.

Inmates will be given two pre-made meals and bottled water to drink.

Administrators say all inmates know about the temporary shut off. They will be given water buckets for flushing until regular water service is restored.

Visitors to the Detention Center will not be allowed to use the bathrooms.

In a statement Jail Administrator Greg Williams said, “These repairs are absolutely necessary to continue to move the facility toward maximum efficiency and elevate the quality of life for the detainees and staff. Due to the construction of this building, unfortunately there is no way to perform these repairs without draining the pipes and experiencing a relatively short time without water, but in the long run the improvements will be worth it. Thanks to the OCDC maintenance staff and their preparations with the contractors, we have been able to shorten the time frame which benefits those who live and work here.” 

Administrators say Thursday’s repairs have been on the calendar for a while. They are hoping to solve flooding in the detention center. They also say they are addressing some of the concerns cited in the Oklahoma Department of Health report delivered to the detention center in late March.

Read Related: Audit Of Oklahoma County Detention Center Finds Over A Dozen Health Violations, Shows Lack Of Staffing

At the beginning of February, the Oklahoma State Department of Health went in unannounced to conduct an annual inspection of the Oklahoma County Detention Center.

In the report released Wednesday, it said that based on deficiencies cited, the facility was found to not be following established standards.

During the inspection OSDH investigated 11 inmate deaths and 15 complaints.

Read Related: Protests Grow Over Jail Conditions After Graphic Video Details Hostage Situation

On March 27, a hostage situation occurred at the jail during which a detention officer was stabbed, and an inmate was shot and killed.

The situation was streamed on Facebook. In that video, inmates showed footage of conditions inside the jail including of toilets backed up. The inmates claimed they did not have running water and had not showered in weeks.