Jail's blocked sewer line brings more problems to county budget

By Jeremy Pawloski | The Olympian • Published October 11, 2008

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OLYMPIA – With deep budget cuts expected to bring layoffs to government departments throughout Thurston County in 2009, the county's financial picture grew even more grim — and icky — Sept. 25.

That's when a blocked sewer line clogged the shower and bathroom drains of a housing unit in the basement of the Thurston County Jail. The price tag for the repairs is estimated at about $110,000, county Chief Administrative Officer Don Krupp said Friday.

To begin the emergency repairs, contractors had to use a jackhammer to break through the concrete of the basement that used to be home to about 50 minimum-security inmates, said Thurston County Chief Corrections Deputy Todd Thoma.

Now, the basement is evacuated of inmates and personnel, and there is an approximately 60-foot-long, 3-foot-wide and 6-foot-deep trench in the ground.

"It's certainly not good," Krupp said of the need to fix the clogged sewer line.

He added about the jail, "It's a money pit."

The proposed expenditure to complete the repairs will be presented to the Thurston County Commission on Monday, he added. The work underscores the need to replace the aging jail, Krupp said.

The initial stages of construction of a new 352-bed jail, known as the Accountability and Restitution Center, already is under way at a 27-acre site at Mottman Industrial Park. The ongoing repairs to the sewer line in the basement are expected to be finished by Wednesday or Thursday, Thoma said. After that, inmates and staff can return to the housing area, he said.

Repairs occur during the night so the noise of jackhammers does not disrupt the daytime functions of the nearby Thurston County Sheriff's Office, county government offices and the Thurston County district and superior courts, Thoma said.

The evacuation of the residential unit in the basement caused the 50 or so affected inmates to be relocated to other areas of the Thurston County Jail, Thoma said. About nine inmates have been relocated to the Lewis County Jail, he added.

Thoma said the sewer line blockage was caused by a blanket, clothing and other items that were flushed down the toilet. The jail's chemical dependency program and domestic violence offender program each had formerly been housed in the basement, and they have had to be relocated in the wake of the ongoing repairs, Thoma said.

Luckily, the clogged sewer line was unearthed and cleaned out immediately, Thoma said. If it had not been cleaned immediately, it could have caused sewage problems in the rest of the jail, he said.

"We were able to get on top of it right away," Thoma said.