Rio Grande Detention Center plumbing issue leaves jail, inmates without water for 2 days

The Rio Grande Detention Center has been without water for a couple days due to in-house plumbing work, officials said. The Rio Grande Detention Center has been without water for a couple days due to in-house plumbing work, officials said. Photo: Google Maps Photo: Google Maps Image 1 of / 33 Caption Close Rio Grande Detention Center plumbing issue leaves jail, inmates without water for 2 days 1 / 33 Back to Gallery

The Rio Grande Detention Center has been without water for a couple of days, allegedly affecting the drinking water, showers and toilets for both male and female detainees, according to an inmate who called from the facility.

After the Webb County Utilities Department was alerted to the situation, they reached out to the jail to see if they needed help.

The facility was doing some in-house plumbing work and ran into unexpected problems, Webb County Commissioner Jesse Gonzalez said, having spoken with Utilities Director Adrian Montemayor.

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The county is now assisting the detention center to get its water back up and running, even though it is an internal issue, Gonzalez said.

"The facility is currently experiencing a water outage due to damage sustained to a utility pipe during maintenance. As a contingency, the facility has been provided with bottled water and portable restrooms while the issue is resolved," a spokesperson for the facility said.

Immigrations and Customs Enforcement detainees are among the inmates held here. An ICE spokesperson said they are looking into the matter.

Update: A statement provided by a spokesperson for the Rio Grande Detention Center has been added to the original version of this story.