U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan returned to Jackson, Miss., Sept. 26 to reaffirm his commitment to ensuring the city gets relief for its ongoing drinking water issues. On the same day, U.S. Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim sent a letter to Jackson officials warning them that the U.S. Dept. of Justice is ready to take action if the city does not reach an agreement with the EPA.
Jackson’s long-standing drinking water issues culminated in a 17-day crisis after the city’s 50 million-gallon-per-day-capacity O.B. Curtis Water Plant failed Aug. 29. About 180,000 people were left with unreliably low water pressure or no water at all. A boil water notice was lifted Sept. 15 after emergency repairs were made at the plant. But the city has continued issuing some localized boil notices related to leaks and main breaks since then. Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba (D) has estimated fixing all of Jackson’s water distribution systems would cost between $1 billion and $2 billion.