Jackson, Mississippi Water Crisis: Situation remains horrible for residents as resupply efforts fail

“We are constantly paying water bills and cannot use water,” said Jackson resident Korean Wheeler. – We feel like We live in third-world country in America and it’s nice of bad.”

But progress was made according to state and local officials.

Jackson Chokwe Mayor Antar Lumumba noted that “two days in a row of arrived” during news conference on Friday bye also acknowledging that not “all residents have pressure or water”.

” team whether they are working 24/7 to make sure these advances are installed or maintained,” he said.

On Friday morning, Craig noted that the treatment plant was pumping water at a pressure of 85 psi, which is a unit of pressure in pounds per square inch. in lines. It was reduced up to 77.2 PSI later in day, he said.

The abbreviation means areas further away from the plant and higher heights can still experience from low to zero water pressure, according to news exemption from city. goal had to get pressure levels up up to 87 psi, city said.

By Saturday afternoon city officials said the most of Jackson should there is water pressure, according to Facebook post.

water plant made “significant increase” from Friday evening to Saturday, increasing total plant capacity up to 86 psi with in goal of reaching 87 psi.

“The forecast is very stable. However, additional challenges as repair and adjustment made leave the potential for fluctuations in progress” city release said.

city said a few remaining pockets in South Jackson may still be experiencing low or no pressure as work continues in factory saturday on both membrane and conventional systems.

Increased water pressure can lead pipes burst, mayor warns

Like crews work increase water pressure, Lumumba warned other infrastructure issue may be on horizon.

“Because they are able to pressurize the plant to levels he has not seen in many years, i.e. challenge then it becomes, do we have pipes that are torn across city- he said. – We know that we have brittle pipes, we have old pipes just because our water treatment facilities are outdated.”

At the beginning of 2020, water system failed inspection of the Environmental Protection Agency, which found drinking water may contain harmful bacteria or parasites.

The inhabitants were also without water for a month when the pipes froze and burst during the 2021 winter storm.

problems are mostly systemic in nature – old and leaky pipes, malfunctions at wastewater treatment plants and insufficient money to fix in problems, according to a report from the Mississippi Center. for An investigative report published by Clarion Ledger. in January.

In July 2021, the EPA and city entered into an agreement to resolve “oldterm challenges and make necessary improvements to drinking water system”Environmental Protection Agency also recently announced $74.9 million in federal water supply and sewerage funds for Mississippi.

Factory staff also was problemofficials said.

Six of 11 water tanks reached a stable level, and the rest in process of increasing your level city noted in a news release.

Meanwhile, authorities continue to urge residents to boil water.

For Jackson to reach the clean water benchmark, the state health department must test 120 water samples from different locations over two day period and all samples must be returned clean resultsthe governor said.

“I can commit you today that we will continue advising Jacksonians to boil water until we really get down to business,” Gov. Tate Reeves said.

He also added seven states-run water distribution sites commissioned out nearly 2.8 million bottles of water in less than 24 hours Thursday.

President Joe Biden also declared a state of emergency for Jackson and it will allow Mississippi to connect to critical resources to respond to the crisis, Reeves said.