Journalist Emily Nonko joined Everyday In Justice to discuss her investigation into allegations of contaminated water and failing infrastructure at Mule Creek State Prison, and the reported effects on both incarcerated people and the surrounding community of Ione. Nonko co-wrote the reporting project with incarcerated journalist Dave “Razor” Babb. In the interview, she described years of ignored warnings, environmental failures and a lack of accountability.
Q: This issue appears serious and underreported. Why hasn’t it gotten more attention?
Emily Nonko: “No, it hasn’t. We’ve been reporting since 2024, I believe. So this is the second story we’ve worked on. This story really wouldn’t exist without Razor pushing it forward. And I think the most shocking thing about this story is how little state agencies want to talk about it, how little the incarcerated population knows about it, how little the town, the residents of this town know about this issue. What I would describe as a major environmental and infrastructural breakdown and failure at the prison that Razor is currently incarcerated at.”
Q: How did the investigation begin?
Emily Nonko: “So this really began when Razor’s cellmate Curly was diagnosed with kidney cancer, fell rapidly ill, lost a ton of weight, was diagnosed with cancer. And Razor had seen some reporting in the local Ledger Dispatch about environmental and health concerns and water concerns linked to the prison. And he also saw just in the prison, how many people were getting really, really sick.”
She said the reporting became more substantial after litigation forced admissions about infrastructure failures inside the prison. “We actually had a lawsuit that proved that something really, really wrong was happening here,” she said.
Q: What is your background in this kind of reporting?
Emily Nonko: “So I’m a longtime freelance journalist. About eight or nine years ago, I was invited into San Quentin State Prison for a breast cancer walk volunteer event. And I found out there was a newsroom inside of San Quentin Prison. I was totally shocked. I didn’t know people were practicing journalism inside prison.”
She said that experience led to years of collaboration with incarcerated writers and reporters across the country. “I’ve supported hundreds of stories, everything from poetry to really intense investigative reporting like this story we’re talking about.”
Q: How did you connect with Dave ‘Razor’ Babb?
Emily Nonko: “So I work closely with Pollen Initiative. They work to bring prison newsrooms inside of prisons across the country now, and they were working with Mule Creek Post. And so my friend at Pollen, Jesse Vasquez, had said, ‘You really should connect with this guy.’”
She described Razorbab as a prolific writer and said the Mule Creek project became the most intensive reporting collaboration she has done with an incarcerated journalist.
Q: What risks do incarcerated reporters face when doing this work?
Emily Nonko: “So it’s interesting. I mean, I think what people don’t understand is the risk that incarcerated people take to do this work. It’s just extreme. And we talk about digital security as journalists, but every communication you have is monitored by the prison.”
She added that many sources still agreed to speak openly because, in her view, they believed their health was already at risk. “They’re drinking poisoned water,” she said.
Q: Were state officials responsive to your reporting?
Emily Nonko: “We did a full fact check with the CDCR. They knew every single claim we were making. They knew about the reporting team. We stand behind our reporting because it’s true.”
But she said official responses were limited. “The first time they responded very, they barely engaged, and the second time they didn’t respond at all. And I just think that speaks for itself.”
Q: Have you identified what caused the contamination?
Emily Nonko: She said the answer is complex and tied to decades of prison expansion, poor construction and inadequate wastewater systems. “CDCR is rapidly building prisons across California in the ’80s and ’90s … they’re barely being constructed properly.”
She added that Mule Creek generated more wastewater than its systems were built to handle, particularly because of industrial operations at the prison. “So a lot of it is just poor planning. They don’t get the money together to address it. And then the prison never really has to be accountable to anybody.”
Q: What did you learn about responsibility for drinking water oversight?
Emily Nonko: “I spoke to every possible public state agency who would be relatively responsible and they sent me on a wild goose chase. They all passed the blame off to other agencies.”
She said that raised larger concerns about how public institutions respond when contamination claims emerge inside prisons.
Q: How has the town of Ione been affected?
Emily Nonko: She said some residents with private wells reported alarming test results. “People were finding caffeine in their wells. Well, there’s a coffee roasting plant at the prison. People were finding dry cleaning chemicals in their wells.”
She also said many residents no longer view the prison as the economic benefit they were once promised. “I was actually shocked to talk to just locals and former staff who just have a lot of distrust around the prison system.”
Q: How long have these concerns existed?
Emily Nonko: “We’ve traced concerns back 20 years, but we’ve had sources tell us … day one, this prison was having plumbing and water issues. It just was built incorrectly.”
She said sources described sewage pipes placed above drinking water pipes and staff bringing bottled water to work while incarcerated people had no similar access.
Q: What should happen now?
Emily Nonko: She said the underlying infrastructure problems may be too severe for minor fixes. “From my reporting, I believe this prison, this is a non-functional prison.”
At minimum, she said public awareness must grow. “The more people know about this and are aware, the harder it will get for them to ignore.”
Q: What comes next in your reporting?
Emily Nonko: “Yeah. So every story has just kind of opened more doors. I just don’t know always where they’re going to take us.”
She said additional sources continue to come forward, a documentary project is in development, and the investigation remains active.
Q: Final takeaway?
Emily Nonko: “I think the people behind the walls and the people in the town have a lot more in common than they might believe. And we want our reporting to really explore some of the kind of uncomfortable feelings that arise when you realize our fates are really bound together.”
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