Water problems at jail to be fixed Monday

Low water pressure forced the jail to shift around inmates over the weekend to make sure everyone had clean water access. Low water pressure forced the jail to shift around inmates over the weekend to make sure everyone had clean water access. Photo: Johnny Hanson, Houston Chronicle Photo: Johnny Hanson, Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Water problems at jail to be fixed Monday 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

A pump failure sparked a weekend of water woes at the Harris County jail, but authorities expect everything should be back to normal by Monday.

Seeking to offer reassurances and quash rumors of dire conditions, the Harris County Sheriff's Office on Sunday took to Twitter to explain.

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"Throughout the weekend, inmates have had continued access to clean drinking water and working toilets," authorities tweeted.

Water pressure issues started on Friday in the 1200 Baker Street jail, according to sheriff's office spokesman Jason Spencer. In a few cell blocks, toilets weren't working, so staff shifted around inmates and passed out bottled water.

"It hasn't really been a significant logistical issue," Spencer said.

The problems at the Baker Street jail were resolved Saturday, but then the same issue cropped up at the 701 San Jacinto facility, and guards there took similar measures. Jail officials are waiting for a part to come in Monday in order to fix the problem at the San Jacinto lock-up.

An unrelated elevator problem delayed visitation Saturday, but is not expected to affect visits moving forward.