Friday, shocking video from Jackson, Mississippi showed muddy water coming out of the faucet of a home. This showed how bad the water problem is in the poor city.
As a six-week boil-water notice went into the weekend, newspaper reporter Molly Minta posted a video of dark brown water coming out of her bathroom sink.
My water just now in Jackson, MS pic.twitter.com/LFfat03dCv
— Molly Minta (@mintamolly) September 9, 2022
Jackson’s main water-treatment plant was unable to handle severe rain caused by flooding along the Pearl River last month, accelerating damage to the fragile system.
A flood of raw water polluted a reservoir supply, which slowed down treatment, used up supplies, and caused a dangerous drop in pressure.
Before it rained, some pumps were already broken, so the plant had to use backups.
Last winter, a series of cold snaps that caused pipes to freeze left many of the city's 150,000 residents without water. This made the old system even worse.
The federal Safe Drinking Water Act was broken by Jackson's water, the Environmental Protection Agency said months ago.
Wednesday, EPA officials told Washington, DC that the capital city should get "its fair share" of federal money to rebuild its system. This is part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which President Biden signed into law last fall.
The White House says that under the $1 trillion plan, the Magnolia State was supposed to get $429 million over five years to treat its water.
As the crisis went on this week, cars lined up to get clean water in bottles that had been donated, and restaurants brought clean water in tanks from outside the city.
Since 1980, when white people left Jackson, the city has lost about a third of its tax base, and one in six of its residents live in poverty.
