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People generally believe, without a second thought, that those confined serving prison sentences have access to clean and potable water while serving their time behind bars. Yet when it comes to drinking water at the California Institution for Men (CIM) in Chino, California (and the California Institution of Women CIW as well), the exact opposite of clean and safe drinking water availability exists.  Inmates confined at CIM have been engaged in ongoing efforts to uncover what appears to be ongoing deliberate misconduct by CIM prison officials’  falsifying lab testing results of water quality to fraudulently comply with California State water quality standards.  This article discusses efforts by NCRC to remedy the ongoing prison water quality crisis at CIM.

Ongoing Water Testing Falsification

While we all have from time to time encountered city water which has a bad taste or smell, persistent unpleasant tastes and odors are indicative of more serious issues with the water supply.  Having been confined at CIM for nearly 10 years now, I bear witness to the negative health effects of long term exposure to the toxic well water here not only on my own  health but on the health and well being of  my fellow prison inmates. Concerns about the water here really began to amplify when suddenly we noticed a strong odor of chlorine, (similar to how swimming pool water smells) when drawing the water from the tap.  Then, in early 2018 we began to see postings on the bulletin board from the State Water Board titled “DRINKING WATER PROBLEM CORRECTED.”  I noted that the bulletin stated that Nitrate contamination of the drinking water we were consuming was 4.7 times the Maximum contamination level reflected.  My concerns over how  long term exposure to this Nitrate contaminant in the water at CIM was affecting my and my fellow inmates health arose out the observation that there was certainly more observable cases of cancer among the inmate populations here than any other facility I had been housed at. 

The Discovery Begins

As a legal researcher having access to the prison legal library I began to research California’s water laws, drinking water regulations and health effects of consuming contaminated drinking water.  Shockingly, I found that Nitrate had been present in CIM’s ground water supply for over 30 years, and while in general it is considered that adults are not at risk from low level nitrate exposure,  research shows that  preexistent or latent health conditions can can be awakened by toxic exposures to Nitrates.  These conditions  include the onset of thyroid disease, heart problems and and cancer.  Even more shocking, I found a study showing that and under certain conditions, the presence of Nitrate in ground water can produce Uranium in ground/well water and CIM has failed to complete required radiological testing

Endless Water Warnings

Narrowing the Focus

As we continued to see postings which were notices of contamination, of “Failure to Comply” or “Corrective Actions Taken”.  I took the course of researching lab reports for other contaminants such as lead present in CIM water.   Findings revealed that CIM has for years failed to comply with the State Water Board mandates, which further support evidence of long term inmate exposure to lead contaminated drinking drinking water resulting in serious and lasting negative health effects.

Some water contaminants are so toxic that they are measured in Parts Per bill ion (PBB).  My research led me to discover that the drinking water at CIM contained one such highly toxic contaminant called Trichloropropane (TPC), which is so toxic that it is measured in parts per trillion (PPT) any detection is considered to exceed the Maximum.  Many studies have shown that TPC is accumulative in the body’s tissues, is carcinogenic, causes liver and kidney damage and has  neurotoxic effects on brain function. 

NCRC is seeking Toxic Tort Counsel

Ongoing failure to comply to the State Water Board mandates suggests deliberate negligence to address extremely hazardous drinking water conditions at CIM. The CIM prison Water Treatment Plant (WTP), which serves both the men’s and women’s (CIW) facilities, has suffered numerous fines and penalties for non-compliance in its failure to properly maintain the WTP. The 2018 deceptive contamination Notice confirms Nitrate contamination at 4.7 times the Maximum contaminate level was served to thousands of inmates for at least 8 days. The consumer Confidence reports (CCR) contain multiple false statements and fabrications.  Highly toxic contaminants with no safe level of exposure such as lead and Trichloropropane have been found to be present in the drinking water at CIM.  I and my fellow inmates at both CIM and CIW are being exposed to these toxins are are putting out a call to action to stop the poisoning.

As you may know, NCRC is a not for profit Taxpayer advocacy charitable trust working to assist inmates improve their personal and legal lives both individually and collectively.  NCRC continues to gather the evidence of fraud and criminal neglect of drinking water at CIM and CIW. Our staff researchers continue to uncover, document and publish research findings.  As of July of 2025 NCRC discovered an on-site whistleblower who was instructed by CIM staff to fabricate drinking water lab test samples to hide and cover up the ongoing toxic contamination of the CIM drinking water.

We can also document a 90 day TCP exposure supported by confirmation lab samples showing 3000+ inmates exposed to this toxin through CIM drinking water.  Exposure to TCP calls for a statutory damages amount of $2,500/day to each victim of exposure, while there are additional state/federal statues for wrongful death resulting from toxic exposures.  Successful litigation could compensate thousands of inmates and their families harmed by these ongoing toxic exposures at CIM, reveal the prison personnel corruption at CIM and ultimately restore clean and potable water to the facility.