A recent report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Inspector General revealed that inadequate oversight and enforcement from state and federal agencies played a substantial role in the water crisis that affected Mississippi’s capital city. The Mississippi State Department of Health failed to consistently document issues in the Jackson water system or inform city officials of critical problems following sanitary surveys and inspections conducted between 2015 and 2021, the report detailed.
State health department officials are reviewing the report and will respond accordingly, a department spokesperson mentioned. Jackson, where around 25% of residents live in poverty, has faced longstanding challenges with water quality issues and understaffing at its treatment facilities.
The water crisis escalated in early 2021 when freezing temperatures caused equipment failure at a treatment plant, leading to extended periods of low water pressure or no water at all for thousands of residents. The situation worsened in 2022 after heavy rains exacerbated problems at a treatment plant, leaving tens of thousands of people without access to safe water for drinking, bathing, cooking, or sanitation purposes.
The EPA’s National Enforcement Investigations Center found that the Jackson water system had issued over 750 boil-water notices from 2016 to 2020 due to concerns about water contamination. Additionally, the city experienced more than 7,300 breaks in water distribution pipes between 2017 and 2021, significantly surpassing industry benchmarks for pipe breakages.
The inspector general’s report highlighted a distribution pipe that had been leaking 4 to 5 million gallons of water per day since 2016, resulting in a substantial loss of water over the years. In response to long-standing water quality issues, Jackson advised residents to avoid using hot tap water for consumption and to rely on filtered or bottled water for cooking and drinking.
In late 2022, a federal judge appointed an independent administrator to oversee the Jackson water system, aiming to address the systemic challenges that have plagued the city’s water infrastructure for years.
