Jackson Officially Ends Water Emergency, But 'Crisis Of Incompetence' Persists
A high-profile drinking water emergency has been officially resolved in Mississippi, but underlying issues remain.
“According to [Mississippi] Gov. Tate Reeves, Jackson’s water crisis is over, but a crisis of poor leadership still remains for the capital city,” WDAM reported. “Reeves issued an executive order officially ending the August 30, 2022, state of emergency surrounding the city of Jackson’s water treatment system… [but] the governor took a parting shot at the mayor and his administration, saying that Jackson still suffers from a ‘crisis of incompetence.’”
Following years of foundational public system issues, excessive rainfall forced Jackson to indefinitely halt access to drinking water for residents. The city has since reinvested in its drinking water treatment infrastructure and the U.S. EPA has intervened, allowing the city to end the state of emergency.
But the governor’s criticisms of local leaders underscore one of the longest-lasting impacts of crises like this: the erosion of consumer trust.
Jackson’s public trust issues were on full display as protestors demonstrated outside of the state capitol building recently, calling for Mississippi to fund clean drinking water initiatives for private homes and schools.
“Do we have to wait for — once again — everyone in the United States to see that Jackson, Mississippi, or Mississippi as a whole, still needs troops to come in to guarantee basic rights?” one protestor asked, per WAPT. “Or can the governor and the legislature come back here and make sure Jackson has the basic needs, such as water?”
For the governor’s part, however, it seems that reliance on federal intervention is the preferred route back to normalcy in Jackson. As he ended the state of emergency, he seemed to pass the baton to the EPA to address any ongoing drinking water treatment problems there.
“Reeves is calling on the federal government to continue the process to ensure ‘Jackson political leadership does not have the authority to mismanage the water system any further,’” WDAM reported.
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