‘When will water crises end?’ South Jackson residents want to know

Ward 6 City Councilman Aaron Banks asked his constituent Ed Coles to stand at a town hall meeting last week at Glory Empowerment Center on Maddox Road.

Jackson water crisis flows from a century of poverty, neglect and racism

More than a century before failing infrastructure left Jackson, Mississippi, without running water this summer, thousands of the capital city's residents gathered in a park downtown to celebrate the new water filtration plant that promised to turn the muddy liquid flowing into people’s taps into “clean, pure water.”

With long-term Jackson water fix in mind, leaders ask the mayor: Where’s your plan?

Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said Tuesday that the city has had “many, many plans” to fund repairs for its beleaguered drinking water system.

News, Mississippi News, Mississippi SpotlightJerry MitchellSeptember 8, 2022Jackson's water system, Tainted, water outage, tap water, infrastructure, city of Jackson, water filtration, Mississippi water, boil water notice, water crisis, water pressure, Mayor Lumumba, no water, plan to fix water, funding

If Jackson’s water system collapsed, residents might have had to wait two years to get clean drinking water.

If the city of Jackson’s main water treatment plant had failed Monday — as it nearly did — residents would have had to wait 18 to 24 months to restore service, state Sen. John Horhn said public works officials told him.

News, Mississippi News, Mississippi SpotlightJerry MitchellAugust 31, 2022Jackson's water system, Tainted, water outage, tap water, infrastructure, city of Jackson, water filtration, Mississippi water, water crisis, water pressure, Pearl River flooding, OB Curtis water treatment plant

Mayor Lumumba says water connections being restored, welcomes state to the table

Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said Tuesday the city’s water pressure is seeing improvements thanks to efforts to restore pressure in the system overnight, and that more residents are with water now than yesterday.

News, Mississippi News, Mississippi SpotlightJerry MitchellAugust 30, 2022Jackson's water system, Tainted, water outage, tap water, infrastructure, city of Jackson, water filtration, Mississippi water, boil water notice, water crisis, water pressure, Pearl River flooding, Jackson Fire department

MAE calls Jackson’s water crisis a major education issue

In what some may have thought an unusual move, the Mississippi Association of Educators convened a news conference this week to disseminate its recently completed research study and position paper, “Solving the Jackson Water Crisis.”

News, Mississippi News, Mississippi SpotlightJerry MitchellAugust 17, 2022Jackson's water system, Tainted, water outage, tap water, repairs, Mississippi water and sewage, infrastructure, city of Jackson, water filtration, Mississippi water, boil water notice, MAE, Mississippi educators, water crisis, education

Treatment causing boil water notices will continue being used for a year, mayor says

The treatment chemicals that have been causing repeated boil water notices will continue to be necessary for about a year, Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said Monday at a news conference at the O.B. Curtis Water Treatment Plant.

News, Mississippi News, Mississippi SpotlightJerry MitchellAugust 9, 2022Jackson's water system, Tainted, water outage, tap water, repairs, Mississippi water and sewage, infrastructure, OB Curtis water treatment plant, Health Department, city of Jackson, weatherization, water filtration, Mississippi water, boil water notice, lime slurry

City of Jackson, Health Department clarify water conservation advisory

When the city of Jackson asked residents to conserve water in late June, it stated that the water department was “anticipating increased water demand as a result of the higher than average temperatures forecast for the next several days.”

News, Mississippi NewsJerry MitchellJuly 29, 2022Jackson's water system, Tainted, water outage, tap water, repairs, Mississippi water and sewage, infrastructure, OB Curtis water treatment plant, ammonia leak, Health Department, city of Jackson, citywide boil water notice, conservation advisory

Boil and conserve: Treatment issues and hot weather put strain on Jackson water

A combination of an ammonia leak and improper water treatment has forced all of Jackson’s water customers to boil their water for nearly two weeks straight now.

News, Mississippi NewsJerry MitchellJuly 8, 2022Jackson's water system, Tainted, water outage, tap water, repairs, Mississippi water and sewage, infrastructure, water upgrades, wastewater, oversight, OB Curtis water treatment plant, citywide boil water notice, ammonia leak

Federal funds both ‘huge’ and ‘not near enough’ for Mississippi’s rural water problems

LELAND — The Black Bayou Water Association, which now connects to nearly 3,000 rural customers in the Delta, was started about 30 years ago by a rice and soybean farmer with no water service experience.