Lino Lakes Correctional Facility gives inmates bottled water after tap water turned brown
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The Lino Lakes Correctional Facility’s water turned brown over the weekend. The facility gave inmates bottled water to drink while it waited to test the water, but friends and family members of incarcerated people are concerned they didn’t have enough water to stay properly hydrated.
Visitation hours were canceled when the water turned brown on Friday. Shannon Loehrke, a spokesperson with the Minnesota Department of Corrections, said the facility tested the water on Saturday and found it safe to drink. The discoloration and sediment had cleared by Monday and the facility returned to using tap water.
Kristin Klaesges’s son Paul Ostendorf is incarcerated at Lino Lakes and works as a yoga instructor there. Because he’s active, he usually drinks far more water than the facility gave him. On Friday afternoon, Klaesges said he was given two 16-ounce bottles.
On Saturday, she said he received three.
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“He was very thirsty,” Klaesges said. “He said that even though he was concerned about the quality of the water, he felt like becoming dehydrated was worse than drinking that water, so he drank it.”
Others who spoke to their incarcerated loved ones said the facility provided four bottles on Saturday.
The Department of Corrections said the discoloration came from the city water supply. The city, on the other hand, said the issue was isolated to the correctional facility. Officials did not provide any additional details about the source of the problem.
This isn’t the first time Lino Lakes Correctional Facility has had water problems. In September 2023, the facility also provided bottled water after lead was found in three drinking faucets.
Gary Bogatz was incarcerated in Lino Lakes at the time and said he received significantly more water. He, Klaeges and others expressed frustration about the situation and wished facility officials had provided more information as it developed.
“It was just very, very upsetting to have knowledge that the basic need for water didn't feel like it was a high enough priority,” Klaesges said.