Array
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.
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.
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.
