Mississippi News

Jackson: Drinking water emergency declared

Published

3 years ago

August 30, 2022

State health department declares drinking water emergency for Jackson

by Alex Rozier, Mississippi Today
August 30, 2022

The state health department declared a public drinking water supply emergency for Jackson on Tuesday, the morning after Gov. Tate Reeves announced that the city’s treatment system had begun to fail.

The release listed the following reasons for the declaration:

• 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

The statement also said that disinfection levels are not reliable enough to prevent the potential of disease-causing organisms in the drinking water, including E. Coli, cryptosporidium, and giardia.

As part of the declaration, the Mississippi State Health Department is ordering that City of Jackson employees “cooperate with state response teams and contractors deployed to augment current staffing and to take remediation actions deemed necessary by the State Incident Commander.”

In his announcement on Monday, Reeves said that the state was deploying health department staff to O.B. Curtis on Tuesday to evaluate the plant’s ability to produce water.

In a tweet Tuesday, the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency instructed Jackson residents on what to do and not do during the current boil water notice. MEMA wrote not to drink the water, although neither MEMA nor MSDH have clarified since yesterday whether or not the water is safe to drink after boiling it.

Yesterday, State Health Officer Dr. Daniel Edney instructed residents to boil water for three minutes before using water to drink, brush teeth or cook.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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Mississippi News

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SUMMARY: From July 11-13, Mississippi offers a variety of events for all ages. In Jackson, enjoy the season finale of “Late Night with Rita Brent,” Disney’s The Lion King, Jr., and exhibitions at the Mississippi Children’s Museum. Pearl hosts the Mississippi Mud Monsters with fireworks and a Back 2 School Bash. Ridgeland features the Wildflower Field, Art Park, Renaissance Christmas in July sales, and a Fairy Garden Workshop. Natchez and Vicksburg offer farmers markets and local entertainment. Hattiesburg presents Po Boy Fest, Clue: The Musical, and outdoor movies. Activities include rodeos, ice cream tastings, run clubs, and community tennis events across the state.

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Mississippi News

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www.wjtv.com – The Associated Press – 2025-07-08 05:12:00

SUMMARY: Catastrophic flooding in Texas over the July Fourth weekend killed at least 104 people, including 28 children, mostly near Camp Mystic, a century-old girls’ summer camp in Kerr County. Search-and-rescue teams continue to search swollen rivers for dozens still missing; officials expect the death toll to rise as more rain threatens the saturated area. Many victims were swept from cabins by flash floods early Friday, some clinging to trees. Authorities will investigate warnings and evacuation delays, noting poor cellphone service hindered alerts. Despite warnings issued before the flood, some residents didn’t receive them. President Trump plans to visit the state.

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