Emergency declared over Jackson, Mississippi water crisis
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(NewsNation) — President Joe Biden issued an emergency declaration in Jackson, Mississippi, Tuesday after flooding took out the city’s main water treatment facility.
The water system in Jackson has failed in recent days, leaving residents with little to no drinking water. Officials have blamed flooding along the Pearl River, but previous issues have plagued the local water treatment plant’s operations for decades.
Most people in the state’s capital don’t have any running water, and the city has already been under a boil water advisory for more than a month. That means more than 150,000 people don’t have water to drink, flush toilets, cook food or even shower.
Residents waited in long lines for bottles of water, which reportedly ran out quickly, on Tuesday and stores shelves are bare.
Jackson Mayor Chokwe Lumumba said the situation improved overnight, and that more locations offered bottled water Wednesday.
But Jackson is no stranger to water issues. There have been recorded problems with the city’s water system since it was installed. The first call to upgrade the water system was in 1948, yet many of those same pipes are still used today.
In the 1970s, the EPA issued its first warning about the water system’s quality. Winter storms in 1989, 1994, 2010 and 2024 all caused multi-week water outages in Jackson.
In 2016, the EPA detected high lead levels in the city’s water.
Recent heavy rains pushed the Pearl River, which runs through the city, over its banks and well above flood levels, causing the water plant to go offline.
At the same time that the flood hit, the city’s other water plant experienced a pump issue, meaning it was unable to pick up the slack for the flooded facility.
It isn’t an easy fix either. It would cost an estimated $1 billion to repair Jackson’s water system, and another billion dollars to rebuild the city’s sewage system, CNN reported.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Firefighters and recruits for the Jackson, Miss., Fire Department carry cases of bottled water to residents vehicles, Aug. 18, 2022, as part of the city’s response to longstanding water system problems. On Monday, Aug. 29, 2022, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said he’s declaring a state of emergency after excessive rainfall worsened problems in one of Jackson’s already troubled water-treatment plants. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) 
A recruit for the Jackson, Miss., Fire Department carries a case of bottled water to a resident’s car, Aug. 18, 2022, as part of the city’s response to longstanding water system problems. On Monday, Aug. 29, 2022, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said he’s declaring a state of emergency after excessive rainfall worsened problems in one of Jackson’s already troubled water-treatment plants. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) 
A Kroger customer places a case of drinking water into her vehicle, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022, in Jackson, Miss. Parts of Jackson were without running water Tuesday because recent flooding worsened problems in one of two water-treatment plants as part of the city’s response to longstanding water system problems. The state Health Department put Mississippi’s capital city under a boil-water notice in late July. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) 
Rajwinder Singh carries a case of drinking water to his vehicle, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022, after purchasing 15 cases from a Kroger grocery store for his convenience store in Jackson, Miss. Parts of Jackson were without running water Tuesday because recent flooding worsened problems in one of two water-treatment plants as part of the city’s response to longstanding water system problems. The city already been under a boil-water notice for a month because the Health Department found cloudy water that could cause digestive problems. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) 
Rajwinder Singh, a gas station/convenience store owner, prepares to load one of the 15 cases of drinking water he purchased from a Kroger grocery store into his vehicle, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022, in Jackson, Miss. Parts of Jackson were without running water Tuesday because recent flooding worsened problems in one of two water-treatment plants as part of the city’s response to longstanding water system problems. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) 
Rajwinder Singh, a gas station/convenience store owner, pats into place the 15 cases of drinking water he purchased from a Kroger grocery store into his vehicle, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022, in Jackson, Miss. Parts of Jackson were without running water Tuesday because recent flooding worsened problems in one of two water-treatment plants as part of the city’s response to longstanding water system problems. The state Health Department put Mississippi’s capital city under a boil-water notice in late July. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) 
Customers at Walker’s Drive In, are provided bottled drinking water and imported ice, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022, in Jackson, Miss. The restaurant is one of many businesses that face the city’s longstanding water system problems, including cloudiness and low pressure. Recent flooding worsened problems in one of two water-treatment plants and the state Health Department has had Mississippi’s capital city under a boil-water notice since late July. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) 
Derek Emerson, co-owner of Walker’s Drive-In, speaks about the challenges he and many restaurants and small businesses face daily in Jackson, Miss., due to longstanding water system problems, including cloudiness and low pressure, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022. Recent flooding worsened problems in one of two water-treatment plants and the state Health Department has had Mississippi’s capital city under a boil-water notice in late July. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) 
Walker’s Drive-In, a popular mid-city eatery in Jackson, Miss., has loaded up with bottles of drinking water and pre-made tea, in an effort to handle their customers orders, during the latest challenges due to longstanding water system problems in Jackson, Miss., Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022. Recent flooding worsened problems in one of two water-treatment plants and the state Health Department has had Mississippi’s capital city under a boil-water notice since late July. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) 
Derek Emerson, co-owner of Walker’s Drive-In, speaks about the challenges he and many restaurants and small businesses face daily in Jackson, Miss., due to longstanding water system problems, including cloudiness and low pressure, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022. Emerson rented a 500 gallon tank as a backup which will provide the restaurant with water for cleaning dishes and bathroom use only. Recent flooding worsened problems in one of two water-treatment plants. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) 
Pallets loaded with cases of water are unloaded at a Kroger grocery store in north Jackson, Miss., Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022. The grocery chain and other stores are facing the challenges of the city’s longstanding water system problems, by making more drinking water available for its customers. Recent flooding worsened problems in one of two water-treatment plants and the state Health Department has had Mississippi’s capital city under a boil-water notice since late July. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) 
Many customers at this Kroger grocery store in north Jackson, Miss., carry out a couple of cases of drinking water, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022. The grocery chain and other stores are facing the challenges of the city’s longstanding water system problems, by making more drinking water available for its customers. Recent flooding worsened problems in one of two water-treatment plants and the state Health Department has had Mississippi’s capital city under a boil-water notice since late July. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) 
Jackson, Miss., Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba addresses the city’s partnership with the state to help address the water crisis in the Capital city during a news conference in Jackson Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022. On Monday, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves announced state assistance to help with Jackson’s water issues. (Barbara Gauntt/The Clarion-Ledger via AP) 
Jackson, Miss., Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba addresses the city’s partnership with the state to help address the water crisis in the Capital city during a news conference in Jackson Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022. On Monday, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves announced state assistance to help with Jackson’s water issues. (Barbara Gauntt/The Clarion-Ledger via AP) 
Jackson, Miss., Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba addresses the city’s partnership with the state to help address the water crisis in the Capital city during a news conference in Jackson Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022. On Monday, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves announced state assistance to help with Jackson’s water issues. (Barbara Gauntt/The Clarion-Ledger via AP) 
Hinds County Emergency Management Operations deputy director Tracy Funches, right, and operations coordinator Luke Chennault, wade through flood waters in northeast Jackson, Miss., Monday, Aug. 29, 2022, as they check water levels. Flooding affected a number neighborhoods that are near the Pearl River. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) 
Looking more like a boat ramp, the receding Pearl River flood waters hide the parking lot of the athletic fields on Westbrook Road in northeast Jackson, Miss., Monday, Aug. 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) 
Floodwaters covered the streets in some parts of the North Canton Circle neighborhood of Jackson, Miss., on Monday, Aug. 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Goldberg) 
A recruit for the Jackson, Miss., Fire Department puts cases of bottled water in a resident’s truck, Aug. 18, 2022, as part of the city’s response to longstanding water system problems. On Monday, Aug. 29, 2022, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said he’s declaring a state of emergency after excessive rainfall worsened problems in one of Jackson’s already troubled water-treatment plants. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) 
A Jackson, Miss., Fire Department firefighter puts cases of bottled water in a resident’s SUV, Aug. 18, 2022, as part of the city’s response to longstanding water system problems. On Monday, Aug. 29, 2022, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said he’s declaring a state of emergency after excessive rainfall worsened problems in one of Jackson’s already troubled water-treatment plants. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) 
Recruits for the Jackson, Miss., Fire Department place cases of bottled water in a resident’s car, Aug. 18, 2022, as part of the city’s response to longstanding water system problems. On Monday, Aug. 29, 2022, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said he’s declaring a state of emergency after excessive rainfall worsened problems in one of Jackson’s already troubled water-treatment plants. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
