Update August 12, 2026: Water has been restored.
The Nebraska State Penitentiary (NSP) has experienced two water line breaks. The first occurred on Thursday, Aug. 6, near the facility’s library and was fixed on Friday. Also on Friday, a second break happened near one of the housing units, which has affected water to a significant portion of the facility.
Four of NSP’s nine housing units are affected, impacting approximately 715 incarcerated individuals. Repairs are currently underway. It is unknown at this time how long they will take. Locating the exact source of the break is complex, as it is buried under concrete and close to electrical lines.
Update August 11, 2026: Yesterday, shortly after 6:00 p.m., a contractor repairing the water line struck a gas line near one of the housing units. Approximately 300 residents were evacuated as a precaution. The gas company capped the line, and the Lincoln Fire Department cleared the unit to return around 8:00 p.m.
This morning, the gas company is working to repair the line, and contractors are continuing work to expose pipes for the ongoing water line repair. Once the gas line is fully repaired, it will be pressurized with air to test the entire system prior to refilling with gas.
Update August 10, 2026: The facility has implemented measures to address the water outage and keep services available for the incarcerated population:
- Initially, 20,000 bottles of water were delivered to NSP, and additional water deliveries have since been made. Bottled water is distributed every four hours—and more frequently if needed—to ensure individuals have continuous access to drinking water.
- Portable toilets were delivered on Thursday. Sanitation and operational checks are made hourly, and the toilets are emptied at least every 12 hours.
- A schedule for shower access is in place and will continue until normal water service is restored.
- Laundry from the facility is being sent to other facilities to be cleaned, and those items will be returned and distributed tomorrow. This process will continue until normal water service is restored.
Staff have worked diligently to keep yard times available and ensure no disruptions to medical care, visiting, or religious services.
NSP is the oldest facility in the NDCS system, with portions of the campus dating back to 1869. NSP experiences reoccurring waterline breaks due to aging of facility infrastructure. Construction of a replacement facility in north Lincoln is underway, with a 2028 completion planned.