CARLA CROWDER
News staff writer

Several nurses recently employed at St. Clair prison say the plumbing and sewage situation is so bad at the lockup near Springville that employees were warned not to drink the water or eat the ice.

They also said prison water was cut off for nearly two days last month, creating such a foul environment that medical staff wore surgical masks to block the smell.

The St. Clair Correctional Facility is one of two state prisons recently cited by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management for dumping untreated sewage into nearby creeks.

The prison is under a consent order to reduce the levels of pollution it dumps into Little Canoe Creek. Levels from several months violate the prison's permit and violate federal clean water laws.

"From Day One, we were told, 'Don't drink the water.' That's when I got into the habit of buying water and bringing it from home," said Kim Chapman, a licensed practical nurse who worked at the prison for three years before quitting in November.

Only prisoners drank the water, she said.

Officials from the Alabama Department of Corrections say St. Clair prison is hooked up to water from the City of Odenville, and they were not aware of any warnings from prison management not to drink it.

"I have had personnel in the past express concern about the water quality," Warden Ralph Hooks wrote in an e-mail.

He wrote that the water was tested by the health department in Birmingham, "... the City of Odenville and an outside private agency to appease the concerns of the employees. The water was declared potable by all three agencies."

Employees were not convinced.

Melissa Barbee, a nurse who quit last week, said an assistant warden renewed the water warning recently. During a meeting, nurses were told, "By the way, for your best interest, don't drink the water, and don't eat the food from the cafeteria," Barbee said.

The nurses said they believe the questionable water contributes to the high number of inmates with gastrointestinal problems.

The standard treatment for such complaints included a dose of Flagyl, an antibiotic. Chapman said about half of the 50 to 70 inmates who reported to sick call weekly complained of gastrointestinal problems.

Corrections Department officials confirmed that St. Clair's water was shut off for about 24 hours Dec. 4 and 5.

A main water line burst about 9 a.m. Dec. 3, and the prison had to shut off the water about 10 p.m. Dec. 4 while workers replaced the pipe, said department spokesman Brian Corbett.

Additional water was brought in from a National Guard Armory for the emergency.

Built for 600 prisoners, St. Clair houses more than 1,500. The crowding has overloaded the building's infrastructure and speeded deterioration of the facility, Corbett said.

Many prisons are similarly run-down because, officials say, the state does not allocate enough money to properly house prisoners.

Referring to the water stoppage, Corbett said, "Those are just routine daily things that we go through."

The nurses said the cramped conditions and poor sanitation are creating a breeding ground for staph infections. Staphylococcus is bacteria that can cause boils on the skin.

Chapman said the infections escalated last year when the population grew by about 200 inmates.

"Where are we putting these people? We're putting them on top of people," she said.

Medical staff pushed for more bleach to let the inmates clean the showers and living areas more thoroughly, but that was not allowed.

Didn't make waves

She said she rarely raised questions about problems with those conditions because of the working environment. "It was in your best interest that you didn't make trouble," Chapman said. "You did as the Romans did, and you didn't make waves."

She stayed there for three years because she wanted to help the inmates.

Corbett confirmed that there have been cases of staph infections at St. Clair. The warden told him the infections are not any different from what happens in prisons across the country and in hospitals.

Prison officials are also investigating the source of suspected marijuana, cocaine, a cell phone and phone charger found in one of the prison yards, Corbett said.

The green leafy substance and white powdery substance have not been tested yet. Corbett said he could not comment further because the investigation is ongoing.

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