By Graham Lee Brewer
The Oklahoman
LEXINGTON — A group of residents living south of two local prisons must continue their search for drinkable water after the Oklahoma Corrections Department said it lacked the authority to partner with them to build a new well system.
Residents in the rural area east of town have dealt with heavy amounts of contamination in their water for over a decade, causing them to rely on robust filtration systems or to purchase water in bulk or by the bottle, according to members of the Cleveland County Rural Water District No. 1. The district has been in talks with the state Corrections Department for years, hoping to secure a deal that would build a new well system for both the Lexington Assessment and Reception Center and the Joseph Harp Correctional Center, and also provide potable water for those residents.
In a Sept. 9 letter, state Corrections Department General Counsel David Cincotta said not only does the department lack the authority to sell water, but also it has a functioning water well system and could not incur the costs of building new wells.
“ODOC is not in the business of selling water, nor should it be,” Cincotta wrote.
Cincotta noted the proposal also would require his department to purchase a certain amount of water every month in order to help repay a U.S. Agriculture Department loan that would help pay for the new system. Cincotta wrote that considering the prisons already have a working well system, purchasing extra water was not a viable option.
If the state Legislature gives the state Corrections Department the legal ability to sell water, the proposal could be reevaluated, he wrote.
Jerry Massie, state Corrections Department spokesman, declined to comment further on the decision.
“I’m very disappointed,” said state Rep. Bobby Cleveland, R-Slaughterville. “(The state Corrections Department) looked for every way not to do it instead of a way to work with us. It’s like they don’t care that the citizens of Lexington, or even their employees, have any water.”
Cleveland, who has actively lobbied the department to build the new well system, said he already has started drafting a bill that would allow the Corrections Department to sell water. However, even if Cleveland’s bill becomes law, it likely would not take effect for another year.
Daryl Covey, chairman of the Cleveland County Water District, said after 12 years of searching for drinkable water many residents simply have left, some abandoning their homes. Covey said he felt the district and the state Corrections Department already had addressed all of the legal concerns raised in the letter.
“Basically, Mr. Cincotta’s letter was considered a smoke screen and an obstruction tactic, and the reason I say that is practically everything he raised in that letter has been discussed with people in that department previously,” Covey said.
“If I sound a little cynical, it’s because I’ve lived it for 12 years.”
The growing city of Lexington draws its water from two shallow wells, said City Manager Charles McCown, and water can get scarce during a drought.
The nearby city of Purcell allows Lexington to purchase excess water when available and necessary, but McCown was hoping the deal with the prisons would go through.
“Everybody needs an ace in the hole,” McCown said. “It’s important that we have a back-up. Without that security blanket it’s going to be pretty frightening, especially with a hot, dry summer.
“There are people that live in the country, the only source water that they have is a water tank, and without this opportunity, or without Cleveland County Rural Water, they’re going to be really challenged. I hurt for them.”