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An emergency rental pump was installed at Jackson’s O.B. Curtis water-treatment plant, as Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves pledged that the state was doing everything in its power to fix the city’s water crisis.
The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency called the installment the “first step of many” and the governor noted that work was happening “at an incredible pace.”
Speaking to reporters, Reeves thanked the Biden administration, FEMA and the Mississippi National Guard for assistance after the Jackson water system partially failed following flooding and heavy rainfall that exacerbated longstanding problems in one of two water-treatment plants.
“Over the last 30 days, due to the failure of the pumps at OB Curtis, we have seen those tanks lose their supply. Too many are down to critical levels. That left us in a situation where there was no room for error in the system,” he told reporters.
JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI WATER CRISIS: BIDEN APPROVES EMERGENCY DECLARATION, FEMA AID
This is an aerial view of of the City of Jackson’s O.B. Curtis Water Plant in Ridgeland, Miss., Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022. A recent flood worsened Jackson’s longstanding water system problems.
(AP Photo/Steve Helber)
“Over the past 72 hours, often due to the heavy rain and floodwaters that were introduced into the system, there have been more significant interruptions to the operations of OB Curtis,” Reeves continued.
While the state was able to restore a serious interruption to one side of O.B. Curtis on Wednesday morning, the plant has not been able to consistently pump out clean water because of the “severe chemical changes to that water from the heavy rain.”
The interruptions have caused low and even no water pressure for Jackson’s approximately 180,000 residents.
While emergency repairs are underway – including flushing out bad water and mechanical improvements – future interruptions have been deemed “not avoidable at this point.”
A water tower emblazoned with the City of Jackson, Miss., official seal looms over this north Jackson neighborhood Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022.
(AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Reeves said that the city would be temporarily sacrificing some quality standards to have running water and that residents should not drink water from the pipes and/or boil what they need.
JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI CANNOT PRODUCE WATER TO FIGHT FIRES, FLUSH TOILETS: GOVERNOR
“We are doing everything in our power to restore clean, reliable water through the pumps,” he said.
Six hundred National guardsmen and 123 vehicles were slated to be deployed on Thursday.
On Wednesday, a release from the MEMA said Reeves had requested an Emergency Measures Declaration from President Biden.
Workers at the Highway 18 Walmart distribute the last of 6,000 cases of water to long line of residents in Jackson, Miss., Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022. A recent flood worsened Jackson’s longstanding water system problems.
(AP Photo/Steve Helber)
“If declared, any eligible expenses paid for by the state could be eligible for federal reimbursement,” it said. “Under the requested Emergency Declaration, FEMA would be authorized to provide emergency measures, including direct federal assistance, under the Public Assistance program at 75% federal funding.”
Biden has approved an emergency declaration for the state’s capital, and White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Wednesday that the EPA is deploying personnel to Jackson for an emergency assessment of the treatment plants.
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Even before the disruption, Jackson residents had been boiling drinking water for a month because officials warned that it could cause digestive issues.
A year ago, a cold snap in left tens of thousands of people there without running water after pipes froze. Similar problems on a smaller scale happened again earlier in 2022.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
