Walmart Steps Up to Help Pasco Inmates, Deputies Out of Bind

Boil water notices and water main breaks go hand-in-hand.

After all, with a risk of contamination, water companies don’t want to take any chances with their customers’ health.

But, what happens when a water main break affects a jail with hundreds of inmates?

That, as Pasco County Sheriff’s deputies found out March 2, can pose a real big problem.

It seems a Pasco County Utilities main broke near the Land O’ Lakes Detention Center, cutting off all water to the facility for about seven hours.

“After the water main was repaired, the facility was on a ‘boil water’ or no water consumption for 48 hours,” the agency wrote on its Facebook page. “It obviously was not feasible to us to boil water for our inmate population to drink.”

Not sure where to turn, detention staff picked up the phone and reached out to the Walmart Distribution Center in Brooksville.

“Without hesitation, Walmart donated 22,000 bottles of water to us at no charge and they had it delivered with 2 ½ hours of the initial request,” the sheriff’s office noted.

This isn’t the first time Walmart has come to the rescue in a pinch either, Kevin Doll, sheriff’s office spokesman said.

“Walmart is known for stepping up to assist the community in need, as the New Port Richey Walmart on State Road 54 and Little Road did during Tropical Storm Debby,” he said.

The store served as the sheriff’s office base of operations as deputies helped residents affected by the flooding in 2012.

“They fed us and also provided water, and let us use their parking lot for the many different agency vehicles that were involved.”

Patch file photo

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