- Title: Desperate for potable water, Jackson, Mississippi mayor welcomes state aid
- Date: 31st August 2022
- Summary: JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI, UNITED STATES (AUGUST 30, 2022) (REUTERS) (MUTE) AERIAL VIEW OF TANK AT O.B. CURTIS WATER TREATMENT PLANT
- Embargoed: 14th September 2022 02:24
- Keywords: JACKSON WATER CRISIS WATER CRISIS WATER EMERGENCY
- Location: JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI, UNITED STATES
- City: JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI, UNITED STATES
- Country: USA
- Topics: Disaster/Accidents,United States
- Reuters ID: LVA007165330082022RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba on Tuesday (August 30) welcomed state aid as Mississippi activated its National Guard to distribute water to tens of thousands of Jackson residents after a long-troubled treatment plant broke down, leaving most of the state capital without safe running water, possibly for days.
But Lumumba's comments further exposed a rift between the Republican state officials and the Democratic administration of a city that is more than 80% African-American.
The governor has alleged the water treatment plant suffered from years of city mismanagement, while the mayor accused the state of being absent from efforts to maintain and update the plant.
"This is a set of accumulated problems based on deferred maintenance that has not taken place over decades," Lumumba said. "It is a lack of resources and the coordination, and that is why we are excited to have the coordination today. This is what we've been asking for. And so we, you know, have open arms in this process to welcome that coordination, welcome that support."
Governor Tate Reeves declared a state of emergency for Jackson and surrounding communities, warning the area's 180,000 people to avoid drinking tap water. He also called up the state National Guard to assist in efforts to bring relief to the city, which was battered by record rainfall and flooding over the weekend.
The breakdown occurred Monday when floodwaters seeped into the understaffed and poorly maintained O.B. Curtis treatment plant. An emergency team had the plant working at 40% capacity on Tuesday, senior state health officer Jim Craig said, and a temporary pump was expected to be installed on Wednesday and increase capacity further.
But the system was still short of sufficient water pressure to guarantee service citywide. Officials said they could not estimate how many homes were cut off.
The shutdown created havoc for businesses, and Jackson public schools, with nearly 21,000 students, were forced to move classes online as they had done during the coronavirus pandemic.
Even before the crisis, the city had been under a boil water notice for the past month due to "elevated turbidity levels," which makes the water appear cloudy.
A pair of winter storms in February 2021 caused most residents in Jackson to briefly lose running water, and a year ago the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued an emergency order saying the water supply could contain E. Coli, according to Mississippi Today.
Each side had been offered differing accounts of what happened, though they came to agree on significant facts by Tuesday afternoon.
The governor, who previously blamed pump failures, on Tuesday affirmed what the mayor had said: that floodwaters entered the treatment plant, altering the chemistry of the water, rendering the existing treatment inadequate, and forcing a shutdown.
The plant sits next to a reservoir that drains into the Pearl River just north of town.
Governor Reeves also backed off his previous statement that untreated water went to customers, which Mayor Lumumba insisted was untrue.
Craig, the senior state health official, said water that was "not optimally treated" got pumped into homes.
The White House said on Tuesday that President Joe Biden had been briefed on the situation, and administration officials were in contact with state and local officials.
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