Tatyana Ross
Editor-in-Chief
The State of Mississippi issued a state of emergency on Aug. 30, 2022 in the city of Jackson as a result of a failure at the water treatment plant.
The Mississippi Department of Health made the emergency declaration in a press release that read in part:
Pursuant to the Mississippi Safe Drinking Water Act of 1997 (§41-26-1 et sec.), the Mississippi State Department of Health, upon receipt of information that emergency circumstances exist for customers of the City of Jackson, Mississippi drinking water system to receive safe drinking water and that a public water system emergency exists, is imminent or can reasonably be expected to occur without the immediate implementation of additional staffing and remediation
measures hereby declares a public drinking water supply emergency in the City
of Jackson, Mississippi.
Such Declaration is based upon information received by the Mississippi State
Department of Health (MSDH) as follows:
- Insufficient number of certified operators at J.H. Fewell and O.B. Curtis Water Treatment Plants
- Insufficient number of maintenance staff at all water treatment plants and to support the distribution system
- Failure of multiple raw water pumps at O.B. Curtis Water Treatment Plant
- Low levels of water in storage tank
- Low water pressure impacting proper sanitation and education
opportunities - Disinfection levels not consistently optimal developing the potential to have the presence of enteric organisms, including but not limited to, E.Coli, Cryptosporidium, or Giardia in the drinking water being served to customers.
D’Quain Young, Jackson, Miss. native, said he feels that the water crisis has forced the community to come together but it has truly shown the cracks in his hometown.
“Being from Jackson, the surrounding towns seem more well-restored, but not us,” Young said. “If Jackson is going to come back from this we have to go back to the roots and fix our pipes and roads.”
Joliyah Daughtry, a senior journalism and media studies major lives in Byram but her small town relies on Jackson’s water system, said the water crisis has made small things in her life complicated.
“I have to find places that have water. Water is sold out at all of the stores and by the time the water distribution has started, water is gone,” Daughtry said. “I’m trying to maintain but it’s hard because I’m lacking the basics.”
Aside from the citywide boil water alert, some Jackson residents experienced issues with the water pressure. This left several residents, businesses, and schools with little or
no running water.
Hannah Russell, a political science major from Biloxi, Miss., shared that her struggles started when the city of Jackson announced the newest boil water alert. Russell said a shower caused her to contract an eye infection.
“I am lucky to be someone on campus who has family in the surrounding areas of Jackson,” Russell said. “So when the time came, they stepped up and allowed me to shower, eat, sleep and took care of me in general when the crisis started.”
Most schools in Jackson switched to virtual learning to make it more convenient for students. On college campuses, some students worried about the sudden changes to their everyday schedules.
Ja’Quawn Taylor, a business administration major from Gulfport, Miss., said the water crisis puts a strain on his daily routine.
“The Walter Payton Center being closed has changed what I do for my morning workouts. I have to get up extra early to use the portable showers and go off campus just to do laundry,” Taylor said. “It was one afternoon I needed to do dishes and the running water was very discolored and not clear. I sometimes had to pour bottled water down the toilet just to get it to flush.”
Taylor said he has friends who have moved back home until conditions become better but he will not let that discourage him from his goal to acquire his degree in the spring. “I know it took a mental toll on some people because they might have never been in a situation like this before,” Taylor said. “Some people may feel isolated with the lack of socialization compared to what we’re used to on a normal day on campus.”
According to WLBT, local YMCA locations were allowing students from Millsaps, Belhaven, and Jackson State to use showers for free with their student IDs.
Some Jackson residents are not happy with the way the city handled issues regarding
the water crisis.
“Despite this being an ongoing problem, city officials always react to the situation
instead of being proactive and getting ahead of the problem,” Russell said. “So that people aren’t having to scramble to provide safe water for their families. Safe water should be a basic human right, but Jackson 9 (residents) have been denied that for over a decade.”
All of those interviewed for this story expressed that the water crisis could have been prevented if Jackson’s operated with an updated water system.
“It’s no reason the state capital should have to go through all of this, regardless of what ethnicity is populated here in Jackson,” Taylor said.
Daughtry suggested a solution to fix the water issues.
“I feel as though city officials and even our government needs to be replaced. The capital city should NOT have to struggle for WATER! No one should,” Daughtry said. Daughtry is not alone in her feelings, Russell also said she wants to see a change in representatives.
“The change needs to be the people in power, the people who have never made any effort to find a solution to this ongoing water problem,” Russell said. “If they continue to be given a position in our state government, I fear they will return to their old ways when the national coverage is taken from Jackson.”
In a press conference held on Labor Day, Gov. Tate Reeves confirmed the restoration of Jackson’s water pressure. Reeves is open to several long-term solutions and revealed to reporters that solutions may include leasing the Management of Jackson’s water system to a private company.
“We know that it is always possible that there will be more severe challenges. This water system broke over several years and it would be inaccurate to claim it is totally solved in the matter of less than a week,” Reeves said.
The boil water notice for City of Jackson water customers was lifted on Sept. 15, according to the Mississippi State Department of Health.
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