<![CDATA[From a faucet in Jackson, Mississippi, a muddy brown liquid flows out]]> https://usagag.com/2022/09/10/from-a-faucet-in-jackson-mississippi-a-muddy-brown-liquid-flows-out/ Sat, 10 Sep 2022 08:12:00 +0000 hourly 1 https://usagag.com From a faucet in Jackson, Mississippi, a muddy brown liquid flows out 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.

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.

dirty water.
Brown water seen coming from home sink after six weeks of boil water notice in Jackson, Mississippi continues. Molly Minta/Mississippi Today vi

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.

Dirty water.
The city’s water crisis continues, with no indication of when the problem will be resolved.
Molly Minta/Mississippi Today vi

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.

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