A water main break at the Arizona State Prison Complex (ASPC) Lewis has been repaired, and running water is expected to be restored to the facility in the next few hours.
The main broke around 5:30 a.m. on Thursday, taking away running water for inmates and leaving them unable to shower. Visitation was canceled, along with outdoor activities. Visitation for Saturday has also been canceled.
ABC15 was alerted to the water outage by concerned viewers who had loved ones serving time at the facility. They said inmates were unable to flush their toilets and that while they were receiving bottled water, delivery was inconsistent.
"I understand that they're inmates and this isn't the Ritz Carlton, but it's still inhumane. They still are human beings," said Vanessa, who has a family member in prison.
The outage impacted nearly the entire prison, with only the Eagle Point and Sunrise units unaffected.
The Department of Corrections says, as of 4:30 p.m. on Friday, the water system is being pressurized "in order to return to normal functioning." DOC adds that inmates have received a steady supply of drinking water and heat mitigation efforts are in place. DOC did not respond to specific requests by ABC15 to address family members' concerns.
