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The water supply in Mississippi’s capital city remained unsafe for its 150,000 residents to drink or brush their teeth Tuesday after water treatment pumps failed a day earlier, exacerbating a persistent water crisis in the city.
Excessive rainfall had doused Jackson and central Mississippi throughout August, and flooding of the Pearl River caused pumps to fail at a Jackson plant, officials said. Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, who lives in Jackson, announced a state of emergency and warned residents late Monday to not drink the water.
Reeves said the city also “cannot produce enough water to fight fires, to reliably flush toilets and to meet other critical needs.”
Low water pressure left some people unable to take showers or flush toilets and officials said the low pressure caused concern for firefighting. Those who did have water flowing from the tap were told to boil it to kill bacteria that could make them sick.
Jackson schools held classes online Tuesday, while some restaurants closed. Jackson State University brought in temporary restrooms for students, and Jackson State football coach Deion Sanders said the water crisis left his players without air conditioning or ice at their practice facility.
The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency planned to distribute drinking and nondrinking water for up to 180,000 residents in the city and surrounding areas, Reeves said. The city had been under a boil-water notice since late July when tests found a cloudy quality to the water that could lead to health problems.
Meanwhile, the bloated Pearl River’s water levels continued to drop Tuesday — to 33.59 feet, according to the National Weather Service — after cresting Monday at 35.4 feet, just below the major flood stage of 36 feet.
FLOODWATERS IN MISSISSIPPI:Pearl River crests just below major flood stage
Jackson mayor: Water system has faced ‘decades’ of issues
Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said Jackson’s water system is troubled by short staffing and “decades of deferred maintenance.” He said the influx of water from torrential rain changed the chemical composition needed for treatment, which slowed the process of pushing water out to customers.
Lumumba is a Democrat and was not invited to the Republican governor’s Monday night news conference. Although the two politicians are often at odds, Lumumba said Tuesday that he’s having productive discussions with the Health Department and the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency and he’s grateful for the state’s help.
Like many cities, Jackson faces water system problems it can’t afford to fix. Its tax base has eroded the past few decades as the population decreased — the result of mostly white flight to suburbs that began after public schools were integrated in 1970. The city’s population is now more than 80% Black, with about 25% of its residents living in poverty.
Mississippi governor activates National Guard
Reeves activated the Mississippi National Guard on Tuesday in response to the emergency, he announced on Twitter. President Joe Biden had been briefed on the crisis unfolding in Mississippi, said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who tweeted that the federal government was prepared to help.
“FEMA is working closely with the state officials to identify needs, and the EPA is coordinating with industry partners to expedite delivery of critical treatment equipment for emergency repairs at the City of Jackson water treatment facilities,” Jean-Pierre wrote.
Stephen McRaney, director of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, said he met with National Guard troops Tuesday morning.
“Their teams are out on the ground assessing all of the sites that they’re going to be running throughout the city,” McRaney said, adding the guardsmen will be able to help augment the city’s water distribution system. “We have 10 tractor trailer loads of water coming in today.”
He said the National Guard will begin distributing water at noon Thursday at seven sites that will be disclosed later after logistics are worked out.
The federal government is also prepared to help Mississippi respond to the water crisis, Jean-Pierre told reporters Tuesday.
“We stand ready and we are eager to assist further as soon as we receive an official request from the state,” she told reporters aboard Air Force One.
She said the state had not asked FEMA for help with trucking in drinking water, and declined to say why. Jean-Pierre said White House officials have been in contact with local officials and the state Health Department. Reeves said later Tuesday that the state is requesting a federal disaster declaration.
Low to no water pressure could last ‘next couple of days’
Jackson has two water treatment plants. The larger one, O.B. Curtis, sits near a reservoir that provides most of the city’s water supply. The reservoir also has a role in flood control.
Lumumba also declared a water system emergency Monday. The shortage has left many Jackson residents with low to no water pressure and was expected to last at least “the next couple of days,” according to city officials.
“What I liken it to is if you were drinking out of a Styrofoam cup, someone puts a hole in the bottom of it, you’re steady trying to fill it while it’s steady running out at the bottom,” Lumumba told The Associated Press.
Lumumba’s Chief of Staff, Dr. Safiya Omari, told council members that despite some dire predictions of continued low pressure following the weekend flooding, “the system has been recovering quite well.”
On Tuesday, the water pressure was at 78 pounds, only nine points off its target of 87. Because the pressure dropped below 65 during the flood, the city’s boil-water notice would likely continue for the immediate future, Omari said.
By Tuesday, Lumumba said, some customers were regaining service. “We have seen steady improvements in the system,” he said.
Jackson has long dealt with water system failures, including a cold snap in 2021 that left people with frozen pipes and no running water. Similar problems happened earlier this year on a smaller scale.
Major flood control project could spare Pearl River in the future
The One Lake Project, a flood control and economic development project plan first mentioned in 2007, was revisited Monday as Jackson and state officials discussed the receding Pearl River and its future.
The project would add a 1,500-acre lake onto the river, thus moving water downstream and lowering the flood risk, reported the Mississippi Clarion Ledger, part of the USA TODAY Network.
The Pearl River in Jackson rose to its third-highest crest in history on Feb. 17, 2020, when water levels reached 36.67 feet, according to the National Weather Service.
Lumumba said Monday that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is reviewing the One Lake Project plan’s final draft, the Clarion Ledger reported.
Contributing: The Associated Press; Ross Reily, Mississippi Clarion Ledger
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