LINCOLN -- Inmates and staff at the Nebraska State Penitentiary went without running water for a couple of days.

“They’re entitled to basic living standard, a basic humane way of life,” said Christopher "Spike" Eickholt, an attorney for the ACLU.

1,300 inmates and staff were impacted starting Tuesday after officials shut water off to fix several leaking pipes. Some water was restored Wednesday afternoon, while another housing unit had to wait till 2:30 a.m. Thursday.

“The smell of the housing units reeked of feces and urine […] the sounds were of frustration and cries of help from individuals inside hoping someone would listen and care,” State Senator Terrell McKinney told NCN after he visited the facility Wednesday, where people were given water bottles beforehand for drinking and cleaning —while just a first portable bathrooms arrived Tuesday.

“No matter what you’ve done, you shouldn’t live through those conditions,” McKinney said.

The Department of Correctional Facilities (NDCS) reported the penitentiary started operating normal by 2 a.m. Thursday, but the challenge was repairing a facility that was fully occupied.

“Facility maintenance staff are still working to resolve some carry over issues today,” said NDCS Director Scott R. Frakes in a press release, Thursday.

“This is just an extreme instance of what happens when you have a lot of people living in a building that’s not made for that many people,” Eikholt said. As the ACLU’s government liaison, Eickholt said it’s just one symptom of a greater sickness. In fact, water tends to stop at least three times a year at Nebraska prisons, he said. It’s just part of why he and McKinney are among those working to improve Nebraska prison conditions — for everyone’s sake “not just the people who are serving sentences but the staff and those who go to visit loved ones," he said.

The Nebraska Legislature this year approved $14.9 million in state funding for the design and siting of a new prison that will serve as a replacement for the Nebraska State Penitentiary.

Stay tuned to NCN for further coverage on the prisons with discussions from families and officials.