As La Plata County grows, so does pressure on its jail.
A growing community means a larger inmate population, and the county jail will likely need to expand to keep pace with projected growth.
Any expansion, however, would likely require demolition of the older portion of the facility, said County Attorney Sheryl Rodgers. But environmental contamination beneath the older structure complicates the county’s expansion hopes.
Lingering chemical contamination left by a former rifle scope manufacturing plant is one of the primary hurdles the county faces as it looks toward larger, updated jail facilities.
Brown Group Retail was the original owner of the rifle parts manufacturing company, and while another operator of the plant eventually took over, the Brown group retained ownership of the structure that now houses the older section of the La Plata County Jail. In the late 1970s, it operated as a rifle lens manufacturing plant, where large quantities of industrial solvents were used and disposed of in accordance with regulations at the time.
The county purchased the building in 1982 but did not learn until decades later that those chemicals had contaminated the soil and groundwater beneath the site, according to court documents.
Testing revealed elevated levels of toxic chemicals in groundwater and soil gas beneath the facility, with the highest concentrations under the older portion of the jail. The contamination persists today, with a plume remaining underground, though officials say it appears relatively stable.
The county filed a lawsuit against the former owner in 2008, leading to an unusual legal outcome that continues to shape how the site is managed.
“We have kind of a unique situation where the judge decided he would determine what the remedy is,” Rodgers said. “He fashioned a remedy and said that Brown Group was responsible for 75% and the county was responsible for 25%.”
The judge also ordered a specific cleanup method, including the use of injection wells to treat groundwater contamination.
“Unfortunately, that hasn’t been very effective,” Rodgers said.
Because the remedy was court-ordered, the county has limited flexibility to pursue alternatives.
“To do anything different, we would need to go back to federal court, reopen the case and explore options,” Rodgers said, adding the process would likely be difficult and contentious. “Brown Group has fought their share of liability aggressively throughout the entire case.”
That legal framework complicates efforts to address persisting problems at the site, including deteriorating infrastructure inside the jail.
The jail has experienced overcrowding at times during the past few years, necessitating overflow cells in the older part of the jail to be used. But the contamination has reduced the number of overflow cells available.
The county cannot cut into floors to access underground systems without risking exposure to hazardous vapors, said La Plata County Sheriff Sean Smith.
And as plumbing fails, cells are taken offline.
“We don’t have the ability to replace or repair the plumbing,” he said.
That loss of capacity comes at a time when space is already tight.
An addition built outside the contaminated footprint houses most inmates, but the older section is still needed to meet classification requirements.
“The jail is technically considered full … at about 80 to 85% of the total beds available,” Smith said. “You can’t put a homicide offender with a DUI offender.”
Beds are not interchangeable, he said.
“When we have men and women that we have to get classified and have to be separated, we run out of space in the new jail,” Smith said. “That’s why we use the old jail.”
Some portions of the older facility have already been taken offline.
One unit, known as “dry cells,” lacked plumbing in cells and was deemed uninhabitable based on constitutional standards. Other sections have been lost as infrastructure has deteriorated.
County officials say the constraints underscore a broader reality: The facility is nearing the end of its usable life.
Looking ahead, officials are exploring more aggressive options that include demolishing the older structure to directly address the contamination.
Currently, remediation efforts are limited to treating contamination around the structure. Removing the building could allow more direct treatment of polluted soil and groundwater, Rodgers said.
That approach could also align with future expansion plans.
The county could potentially pave over the treated area for parking and expand the newer jail into existing parking areas if additional space is needed.
But such a project would be complex and costly, requiring cooperation from Brown Group and, if tied to changes in the cleanup plan, approval from a federal court.
And funding remains a major hurdle.
“To date, the county has lacked the funds to do it,” Rodgers said, noting officials have explored grants for contaminated “brownfield” sites.
While the contamination is not affecting nearby residents – surrounding properties rely on city water, and controls are in place to prevent exposure – Rodgers said it still poses environmental concerns.
“We would like to be more aggressive about the treatment,” she said.
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