Hot water problems put Allegheny County Jail on modified lockdown

An issue with the Allegheny County Jail’s water tower has led to a modified lockdown at the facility through Sunday, jail officials said.

Warden Orlando Harper said in a statement there is no hot water available from the ground floor up to level five of the Second Avenue facility.

The fix — a valve and gasket replacement — will take 12 hours and require the jail to go without heat, he said.

“Because the repair would also require us to shut off the steam heat in the facility, we are holding any required repairs until the external temperature rises above 45 degrees, which is likely this Saturday,” Harper said.

In the meantime, hot water has been shut off at the jail, and officials said they are making arrangements to provide hot showers to the more than 1,500 inmates affected.

The lockdown began at 3 p.m. Wednesday and will run through Sunday, Harper said. That means no programming in the re-entry centers, no educational services on level one and no visitation from Thursday through Sunday.