Tap water flowing in the wing of the King County Juvenile Detention Center that houses court services and restorative justice programs had a cloudy, brown appearance this weekened, according to an anonymous tipster with access to the building.
Anthony Wright, director of the county’s Facilities Management Division, said the brownish color resulted from maintenance of the building’s plumbing system. Workers temporarily shut down the water system Friday night due to a leaky pipe. When the workers turned the water back on, flowing water picked up loose sediment, Wright said.
“It’s iron. It’s not bad for you, but it does make the water look pretty nasty,” Wright said. He said the tap water in the jail wing of the facility, where they have done extensive flushing, is clear.
The wing of the detention center impacted by the brown water is separate from the jail, though it does house an overnight respite center for children accused of domestic violence. Children participating in that program, as well as staff in the court services wing of the complex, are drinking bottled water, King County spokesperson Alex Fryer said.
I went to the detention center Saturday morning and collected a sample from a public restroom faucet, filling a Nalgene bottle up to about 850 millimeters. Once the water settled, a dark brown substance collected at the bottom of my bottle. Here is what it looks like:
In 2012, voters approved a $210 million levy to fund the construction of a new juvenile detention center. The project has become the focal point of a fiery debate between activists and county officials. Supporters of the new detention center point to a host of problems with the current jail, from leaks to an insufficiently rehabilitative atmosphere. Activists belonging to groups like No New Youth Jail and Ending the Prison Industrial Complex say constructing a new jail is contrary to the city and county’s stated commitment of making strides toward the goal of “zero youth detention.” Some have argued instead for renovations of the current jail.
Youth detention in King County has dramatically shrunk over the last decade, but disproportionality in the rate that minorities are detained has grown.
Opponents of the new jail won a victory last month when an appeals court judge sided with them in saying the 2012 ballot language did not clearly authorize the county to collect property tax to fund the project. King County has appealed the ruling.
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