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(This is the state capital, and this is unbelievable-Editor)
The capital of Mississippi is in the middle of a water crisis.
Jackson has been thrown into national headlines as water treatment plants fail, and President Joe Biden calls a state of emergency for the community a day after Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves called one.
This comes after days of excessive rain and flooding caused pumps to fail at one of the town’s water treatment plants and has left residences and businesses experiencing low water pressure and being under a boil water notice for a month.
“Do not drink the water,” was the message that Reeves put out.
As of Wednesday morning, more than 150,000 people in Jackson were without consistent safe drinking water.
Here’s what you need to know about the water crisis.
What’s happening in Jackson, Mississippi?
Central Mississippi faced excessive amounts of rain and flooding last week and through the weekend and while it was predicted many homes and structures would be safe from flooding, the water treatment plant in Jackson failed.
Flooding of the Pearl River brought about by the excessive rainfall, and exacerbated by climate change, caused problems at one of the town’s two water-treatment plants, causing the pumps to fail. Low water pressure has left many without water to drink, brush teeth or flush toilets.
For decades, Jackson has been dealing with an outdated and failing water system. The Clarion Ledger highlighted issues of boil advisories, flooding into the Pearl River, a fire and the finding of lead in the community’s water.
In 2015, high levels of lead were found in the city’s drinking water. From June 21, 2015, to May 28, 2021, Jackson sampled its water for lead 1,352 times. Of those samples, 66% contained lead, according to records examined by the Clarion Ledger.
Any amount of lead is harmful.
Water buckets, boil notice:Crumbling infrastructure leaves water buckets, boil water notices, as a way of life for some in Jackson