The Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against the city of Jackson, Mississippi, for its alleged failure to provide drinking water that complies with the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) after the failure multiple raw water intake pumps at a processing plant on August 29. According to the lawsuit filed in federal court on Tuesday, the outage resulted in “a catastrophic loss of pressure in the distribution system” which meant that “many residents did not have running water and therefore lost the ability to use water for basic safety and hygiene purposes[.]”
As a result, the complaint says residents had to use bottled water and “other alternative water sources” from government agencies and elsewhere. Service resumed on September 6, but the effects continue, the DOJ said.
“Even beyond this event and continuing to the present time,” the complaint states, “contaminants are present or are likely to enter the city’s public water system that may pose an imminent and substantial danger to the meaning of the SDWA. The city also violated various specific requirements of the SDWA and administrative orders issued by the EPA regarding the city’s public water system.”
The lawsuit explained how contaminants would enter a water system that does not have sufficient water pressure.
JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI, RESIDENTS FILE LAWSUITS FOR WATER CRISIS
Clouds reflect off the sedimentation ponds at the City of Jackson’s OB Curtis Water Treatment Facility in Ridgeland, Mississippi, Friday, Sept. 2, 2022. Jackson’s water system has partially collapsed outage following flooding and heavy rains that exacerbated long-standing problems at one of the two water treatment plants. .
(AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, Pool)
“When insufficient or low water pressure is present in the system, negative pressure can pull water from the outside of a distribution pipe into the inside of the distribution pipe through cracks, breaks or joints in distribution lines that are common to all drinking water systems,” the complaint states. “This phenomenon is sometimes referred to as ‘back-siphoning.’ Back-siphoning can introduce contaminants into treated drinking water inside pipes downstream of the treatment plant, before the water is delivered to users.”
Fox News contacted the Jackson mayor’s office to comment on the lawsuit, but they did not immediately respond.
Water donation sites give residents bottled water for consumption.
(Joy Addison/Fox News)
While the pump failure occurred in August 2022, Jackson has had issues with its water system since at least February 2020, when the EPA began its inspection and issued an emergency administrative order declaring that water system conditions “presented an imminent and substantial danger” to residents that included the possibility of contaminants, including E. Coli. Since then, federal, state and municipal authorities have taken action to address the situation, which has since been affected by weather conditions and an electrical fire at one of the factories in April 2021.
JACKSON MAYOR SAYS FEDERAL FUNDING IS ‘INSUFFICIENT’ TO ADDRESS CITY’S WATER INFRASTRUCTURE
Firefighters and recruits from the Jackson, Mississippi Fire Department carry crates of bottled water into residents’ vehicles, Aug. 18, 2022, as part of the city’s response to long-standing system issues of water.
(AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
The complaint notes that the city has taken emergency action but says the response does not “address all necessary repairs and rehabilitations for the distribution system” and “is not designed to address financial and technical capacity deficits.” that have long hampered the City’s ability to operate the system lawfully and in a manner that ensures a reliable source of potable water for system users. »
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The lawsuit, which follows a separate residents’ lawsuit filed in September, seeks a court order requiring the city to take “corrective action to protect the health of residents and consumers served by the city’s public drinking water system.” city”, comply with national and state water regulations and EPA administrative orders. The DOJ also filed a proposal for an “interim third-party manager” to maintain the city’s water system while state and federal officials develop a long-term plan.
“I pledged that the EPA would do everything in its power to ensure the people of Jackson have clean, reliable water now and in the future,” the administrator said. EPA, Michael S. Regan, in a statement. “While much work remains to be done, the Justice Department’s action marks a critical moment on the path to ensuring clean and safe water for Jackson residents. I am grateful to the Attorney General for their partnership and commitment to this shared vision.”
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