[UPDATE: You can now hear this story online, by clicking here.]

There has been a lot of discussion in recent months about the ever-growing crisis inside California’s prisons, where state officials concede that overcrowded conditions are about to reach the breaking point.

But there’s also a brewing crisis outside of those prisons, one that is quietly trickling down into some unsuspecting– and unhappy– communities across the state.

On tomorrow morning’s edition of The California Report, my Sacramento bureau colleague Tamara Keith takes a look at reports of wastewater contamination coming from prisons that are stacked to the rafters with inmates.

Tamara headed out to one particular hot spot, the Amador County foothills town of Ione, where there are a lot of unhappy folks with untreated wastewater that’s being discharged by Mule Creek State Prison. The prison, originally designed for 1700 inmates, now houses some 4000 behind its walls. A cease and desist order, issued last month by the regional water board, documents numerous persistent problems– including the failure to report problems. Prison officials, in a letter to the local regional water board, admitted to some violations of wastewater discharge policies.

And it’s not just happening in Ione. At least 17 prisons across the state have been cited for violations of wastewater treatment regulations. We all think of the prison crisis in terms of crime, punishment, and prisoner treatment… you might now want to add environmental dangers to that list.

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