SC Prisoners Causing Sewer Breaks, Costing Taxpayers

The City of Columbia says prison inmates at the state prisons off Broad River Road in Columbia are flushing down their toilets trash, clothing and other debris that’s clogging up sewer lines, costing taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“Whenever you have to have a diver dive into sewage and unplug an elbow pipe, you know you’re spending money,“ Columbia Mayor Bob Coble told News Channel 7.

One of the clogs caused a sewer line break that spilled 500,000 gallons of raw sewage. Right now, the problem is costing the city and its taxpayers. But if the Department of Corrections is forced to pay for past and future clean-ups, that would be paid by taxpayers statewide.

Mayor Coble has contacted Department of Corrections director Jon Ozmint, asking him to put mechanisms in place to prevent the debris from making it into the sewer lines. Corrections spokesman Josh Gelinas says, “We have installed additional sewage screens under correctional institutions off Broad River Road to catch debris, and we have modified the mechanical ‘bar-screen’ that filters waste water from most of our institutions to insure that solids lifted from the stream are properly removed. We’ve also asked wardens to ensure inmates don’t flush inappropriate items and stopped using plastic wrap on meals served to inmates, an item that previously was being flushed. Inmates who flush inappropriate debris will be charged with destruction of state property.“

The prison system says there are hundreds, if not thousands, of other customers that contribute sewage that goes to the Broad River pump station. But the city has been documenting debris that’s been pulled from the pipes that’s clearly from prisoners, like inmate clothing, plastic bottles that are labeled “Prison Industries”, even an inmate’s prisoner ID card.

Mayor Coble says if the issue isn’t resolved soon, it likely will end up in court.