LINCOLN- On Tuesday, a water leak in the Nebraska State Penitentiary in Lincoln prompted the relocation of around 140 inmates.

Just thirteen months ago, another leak shut down water service entirely in the prison, leaving 1,300 inmates without running water.

Nebraska Department of Corrections officials said Wednesday that most of the 140 relocated inmates were housed in the prison gymnasium overnight, but more permanent housing for them is still being sought. Repairs are underway, said the Department

The leak, discovered Tuesday afternoon, flooded a lower-level mechanical room and covered the floor of the affected housing unit. The Penitentiary was placed on a modified lockdown because of the impact on utilities and will remain so until the leak and flooding are repaired.

Visits to inmates have been called indefinitely, and portable toilets and bottled water were hauled in and have been distributed.

State Prison officials, alongside Gov. Pete Ricketts, have used the aging Penitentiary as a means to argue for the construction of a newer, larger prison in Nebraska. The Nebraska Legislature is expected to debate the proposal as part of the next state budget.

The State Penitentiary was originally opened in 1869, and has been remodeled and repaired countless times since then. Still, in 2021, officials estimated that a further $12.5 million was needed to entirely repair every issue.

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