The drinking water provided for prisoners at Kern Valley State Prison (KVSP) between 2006 and 2013 had over twice the allowable limit of arsenic as regulated by the EPA. 16 prisoners filed lawsuits against prison officials about the contaminated drinking water and medical issues they developed while at KVSP, including Silus M. Valson who was admitted to the ICU for heart failure and Lamar Singleton who had one of his kidneys removed in 2011. 

After the prison was issued citations by the California Waterboards and Department of Health starting in 2008, the warden posted quarterly memos alerting prisoners of the medical risks associated with drinking the tap water but rejected prisoners’ requests for bottled water. 7 years of delayed construction implicate prison officials and Delano municipal authorities who sat by as prisoners had no choice but to drink unsafe water.