(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Advocates for inmates claim water supplies in Illinois prisons are unsafe.
Kiah Sandler of the Coalition to Decarcerate Illinois claims the problems include the detection of the bacteria that causes Legionnaire's Disease in the water supplies of five correctional facilities: Stateville Correctional Center near Joliet; Joliet Treatment Center and Northern Reception and Classification Center, in Joliet; Kewanee Life-Skills Re-Entry Center; and Graham Correctional Center in Hillsboro.
The Illinois Department of Corrections said the water sources that tested positive for legionella have been shut off and are not in use. To date, officials said, no one has tested positive or shown symptoms.
She said inmates have complained of other problems with prison water, including discoloration, bad smells and skin irritation.
She also says the Illinois Department of Corrections needs to do more to comply with federal clean water regulations, including upgrading prison water systems that she said are antiquated.
The coalition is also calling for the Illinois Department of Public Health to have greater access to prison water supplies for testing and monitoring.
WBBM Newsradio has reached out to the Illinois Department of Corrections for a response.
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