Prison Waters Muddied

Showers will resume for inmates tonight at the Sierra Conservation Center near Jamestown. All hot water was shut off at the prison yesterday after prison officials declared a state of emergency due to muddy water clogging the prison´s filtering system. Prison spokesman Lieutenant Jim Hurtado says a deluge of rainfall at Tulloch Reservoir has muddied the water and created excess sediment. Water from the reservoir is pumped from the reservoir for use by the prison. Hurtado says prison maintenance workers have tried flushing the system out several times, but filters continue to clog. Some prisoners will be allowed to shower tonight and showers will be rotated among prisoners intermittently until the problem is solved. A combination of low water levels at the reservoir combined with early runoff from storms has aggravated the problem. Heavy rain is forecast for the area this weekend. The Sierra Conservation Center houses over 4000 inmates and is one of the largest employers in Tuolumne County.