SEATTLE — The King County Jail in Seattle has been using bottled water throughout the facility since receiving reports on Sept. 29 about the tap water being discolored. Officials said they were distributing bottled water “out of an abundance of caution.”
While the county’s facilities management division has tested the tap water in the jail multiple times and in multiple locations, those tests indicate that the water is meeting Environmental Protection Agency standards for drinking, according to a release from the county.
Because the water remains cloudy, officials said bottled water is still being provided for drinking and cooking purposes.
Officials said the facilities management division took more water samples Thursday and expects to have the results back on Friday. They’re still working to determine the source of the cloudiness.
Water is being provided multiple times a day and upon request, officials said. The jail is still connected to the city’s water supply.
Last year, contractors completed a project that replaced a large portion of the water distribution system at the jail, which could be the reason for discoloration.
This situation was first brought to light by the news website Publicola.