By Eric Woomer
Visalia Times
TULARE COUNTY, Calif. — In one of the worst drought years ever recorded, every drop of water counts — including behind bars. But some inmates say others aren’t doing their part to help save water.
Tulare County jails are filled with nearly 1,700 inmates and 859 toilets. Every flush is about 1.6 gallons down the drain. But, one flush isn’t causing the concern. For some, it’s when inmates flush 10 to 15 times per use that’s raising some eyebrows.
“There are hundreds of inmates [and] when an inmate here uses the restroom they flush the toilet repeatedly to block out the sound,” said Andrew Woods in a letter to the Times-Delta. “This has to be many gallons a day being wasted.”
Woods says he’s addressed concerns with inmates, but it’s proven “pointless,” he writes. He says educating other inmates about water conservation has been “futile.”
Woods suggested the county recycle their waste water, which they already do. The Main Jail in Visalia, which houses 273 inmates, uses a wastewater recycling system. On a bigger scale, the county’s largest jail, Bob Wiley Detention Facility, houses 723 inmates and has a wastewater plant to recycle the water.
The plant has multiple bays and pumps that connect to jail facilities between Visalia and Orosi.
Full story: Too much flushing in Tulare County jails?