September 7, 2022
… it’s not a matter of if these systems will fail again but when these systems will fail again if we don’t have permanent fixes in place.
Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba. Mississippi’s capital city has restored its water pressure after a state of emergency was declared last week.
Why It Matters: Jackson, Mississippi declared a state of emergency last week following problems at the city’s largest treatment plant and also recent flooding; about 180,000 people were without water. While water has been restored for most residents and businesses, officials warn that the current water crisis is part of larger problems that need to be solved.
- Jackson is still under a boil-water notice and has been for more than a month. The notice will end once the city has two consecutive days of clean water tests.
- “The city of Jackson has restored its pressure before. We’ve lifted boil-water notices before. But I think that it is critical that we don’t drop a mission accomplished banner just yet … there is still a significant road ahead,” said Mayor Lumumba in a recent news conference.
- “There may be more bad days in the future, we have, however, reached a place where people in Jackson can trust that water will come out of the faucet,” said Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves in a separate press conference.
Water levels in Jackson tanks are dropping, leaving water pressure vulnerable (Mississippi Clarion Ledger)
by Jenna Lee,
