Jackson, MS Faces Water Crisis Amidst Historic Floods

By Cayla McKay ‘25
The water system of Jackson, Mississippi is in a state of near collapse following disastrous floods this past summer.

For years, Jacksonians have faced boil-water notices and low water pressure due to the aging infrastructure of the OB Curtis Water Plant, the city's main water source. Now, storms and floods have further disrupted the water treatment in Jackson, causing intense flooding and burst pipes in many homes. 
Jackson's mayor, Chokwe Antar Lumumba (D), claimed that "colder winters, hotter summers, and more annual precipitation" have "[taken] a toll on our water infrastructure."
In August, the Pearl River, which runs throughout the city, began flooding due to severe storms. As pumps at the water plant were overwhelmed by this water, the already damaged pipes broke, polluting the city’s drinking water. Even as the flooding recedes, damage to the plant remains and water for everyday use is yet to be restored. 
    While repairing these broken pipes and other issues at the plant, workers used a material called lime slurry, which caused higher levels of turbidity, or cloudiness of the water. These high levels increase the chance that the water will carry disease-causing pathogens, putting Jackson’s 350,000 people at further risk. 
Junior Hannah Weisz described how she would react if a boil-water advisory was placed on her community. “I would be glad about the transparency regarding water safety, but not everyone has financial access to constantly heat water,” she said.
Last fall, President Biden signed into law the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, highlighting Jackson's water problems as a key rationale for the bill. Only recently has the money from this bill been given to the states and cities. Despite the crucial funding, Jackson is still nowhere close to reaching the estimated $1 billion or more necessary to replace its system. 
Many argue that the government has not made the necessary investments to improve Jackson's system. Although the federal government has allocated money to tackle the failing infrastructure, the Mississippi state government has only used a fraction of it. 
State health officials have blamed the delay on a lack of operators and maintenance workers. 

"The staffing challenges become more pronounced when you have a plant that is as aged and has the challenges that ours had," said Mayor Lumumba. "If we had a plant that had the automation and was… new and, you know, a younger plant, then those staffing challenges wouldn't be as pronounced."
Over 150,000 of the city’s residents have been forced to drink, cook, clean and shower with boiled or bottled water. Although volunteers have been handing out water at designated stations, it is still difficult for families to find enough water to meet their basic needs. As a result of the system's failure, schools have switched to virtual learning, hospitals have brought in portable restrooms and restaurants and businesses have not been able to wash dishes. 
Over the past two years, Jackson has issued over 300 boil-water notices. The city continues its search for qualified employees to operate the water plant and is working on a staffing agreement to increase available workers. 
"We have been doing it alone for the better part of two years," says Mayor Lumumba. "We are in a constant state of emergency."
The Community Foundation for Mississippi announced that they would create mini-grants to aid non-profit organizations impacted by the water crisis, but this is not a long-term solution. Businesses and homes can not function without such a basic necessity. 
Climate change also played a key role in this water disaster. “There is a crisis at hand,” said Mikhail V. Chester, a civil, environmental and sustainable engineering professor at Arizona State University. “The climate is simply changing too fast, relative to how quickly we could change our infrastructure.” 
This combination of a damaged system, low funding and the climate crisis has created a long battle ahead for the city of Jackson.
Some, however, like senior Daniel Shapiro, hope that this may be a wake-up call for officials to respond to the climate crisis and other environmental issues. 
“These floods show our nation’s inability to properly fight the climate crisis, and I hope that this is finally a sign for government and corporate leaders to step up and protect our citizens,” he said.