Mississippi
Jackson, Mississippi’s Water Crisis Is an Object Lesson in the Cost of Doing Nothing
This week’s water apocalypse—and you already know we within the shebeen are protecting observe—could be discovered nearer to dwelling. In Mississippi, the residents of Jackson, that state’s capital, all 180,000 of them, shall be with out water to drink or to wash their our bodies or to brush their tooth and even to flush their bathrooms. And no person in cost can inform them how lengthy that would be the case. From the Mississippi Free Press:
“Please keep protected,” Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves mentioned on the night briefing. “Don’t drink the water. In too many instances, it’s uncooked water from the reservoir being pushed by means of the pipes. Be good, shield your self, shield your loved ones, protect water, look out in your fellow man and look out in your neighbors.” Reeves declared a state of emergency over the Jackson water disaster tonight, ordering the state to step in to prop up the failing O.B. Curtis Water Therapy Plant and to ship potable water to Jackson residents starting tomorrow.
Good on you, Governor Tate. Face this disaster by borrowing a stage instruction from Woodstock (“Grasp onto your neighbor, man”). In the meantime, people in Jackson are going through a third-world downside in a purportedly second-world state.
“It is a very completely different state of affairs from a boil water discover,” Reeves mentioned at a press occasion tonight. “Till it’s fastened, we should not have dependable working water at scale. Town can’t produce sufficient water to combat fires, to flush bathrooms and to fulfill different essential wants. The Mississippi Emergency Administration Company will take the state’s lead on distributing ingesting water and non-drinking water to residents of the Metropolis of Jackson.”
For a month, town has been with out ingesting water. Now, town’s complete water system is failing. The Curtis water remedy plant couldn’t deal with a extreme overflow from a reservoir and the Pearl River at floodtide over the weekend. Its pumps have been overwhelmed and the plant’s now ineffective. And there are nearly no personnel available to do something about it. Because the invaluable Jerry Mitchell factors out within the Jackson Clarion-Ledger, the shortage of Class A operators places town in violation of a consent decree with the Environmental Safety Company.
Operational failures at O.B. Curtis are downstream from the power’s most urgent subject—a close to full lack of certified personnel. Class A water operators and common upkeep employees are sorely wanted at O.B. Curtis. The governor mentioned tonight that the State could be buying the operators essential, and would cut up the fee with the Metropolis of Jackson. “We are going to money movement the operation and the Metropolis shall be answerable for half of the price of the emergency enhancements that we make,” Reeves mentioned. “I wish to make one thing very clear to these operators we have now been and shall be reaching out to: You’ll be paid in your work. The state is proudly owning that assure.”
I’m glad that Governor Tate has reassured the folks whom he’s begging to come back and actually bail the state out of a disaster that, hey, dudes, you will receives a commission, sincere! Unsure I’d really feel assured in a governor who discovered it essential to say that, however hey, Mississippi. However Governor Tate was fairly particular in regards to the nature of the disaster: It’s a very dangerous one. From WLBT:
“We have been advised on Friday that there was no strategy to predict precisely when, however that it was a close to certainty that Jackson would fail to provide working water someday within the subsequent a number of weeks or months,” he mentioned. “We started getting ready for a situation the place Jackson shall be with out working water for an prolonged interval. Over the weekend, we began creating water distribution plans, sourcing tankers, and assessing all of the dangers related to an occasion like this…”
Jackson’s water system has been in peril for fairly a while. It’s previous and antiquated: The plant that failed is over 40 years previous, and in April, {an electrical} hearth knocked out two of its pumps. Jackson’s tax base was decimated by white flight within the Nineteen Nineties, which implies town doesn’t have the income base for large-scale renovations of a lot of something, not to mention a wholesale overhaul of its complete water system. And the issues are beginning to, nicely, cascade. For 2 connective winters, unseasonably chilly climate and winter storms (you knew we’d get to the local weather disaster ultimately, proper?) imperiled the system. And even in good climate, the system has lengthy been near collapse. From the Jackson Clarion-Ledger:
Town’s report detailed 135 sewer assortment system failures affecting 127,000 residents and companies. The worth tag for these repairs? $30 million. Leaks in these growing old traces imply not solely water leaking out of the pipes, however undesirable water getting in and inflicting sewer pipes to overflow. On Jan. 9, that occurred in Lefleur’s Bluff State Park when “an incredible quantity of rain overwhelmed the system,” mentioned Chris Lockhart, a board member of Pearl Riverkeepers, which displays the river.
That rainwater blew off a manhole cowl, inflicting sewage to empty into Eubanks Creek, which feeds into the Pearl River. The bottom stays lined with bathroom paper and waste. About 4 months earlier, one other sewer line erupted, flowing into the creek, Lockhart mentioned. “When it’s not contained within the pipes prefer it’s speculated to do, it makes its means into someone’s ingesting water, someone’s fishing water, someone’s swimming gap downriver.”
Mississippi received $1.8 billion from the American Rescue Plan, but it surely was dilatory about placing the cash to work. Ultimately $459 million was earmarked for water system enhancements, though that was for all the state. Jackson needed to wait in line although its want for the enhancements was long gone essential.
Of that cash, $459 million is earmarked for water enhancements throughout Mississippi, which is an issue. Town of Jackson is one in every of many in line, and Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba has mentioned publicly town wants $1 billion to repair its water system and $1 billion to repair its sewer system. And the Mississippi Rural Water Affiliation advised lawmakers water districts want $1.4 billion in upgrades to their techniques throughout the state. When MCIR requested for the main points on this, metropolis officers shared a report that confirmed alternative for water traces in every metropolis precinct would run between $7.3 million and $11.3 million. Repairing one water remedy plant would run greater than $20 million; the opposite, $15.6 million.
The price of doing nothing retains rising. That’s the actual inflation that threatens us all.
Charles P Pierce is the writer of 4 books, most lately Fool America, and has been a working journalist since 1976. He lives close to Boston together with his spouse however now not his three youngsters.
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. —It winds 650 miles, rushing past the cities, industries and landscapes that make up Minnesota.
However, the Mississippi River has never gotten this type of attention from water quality professionals.
For the first time ever, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is testing the entirety of the river, from Itasca to Iowa, in a single year.
The governor’s office wants the river to be swimmable and fishable, but right now, parts of the river are polluted.
The MPCA says the upper Mississippi is largely healthy up north, but quality drops south of St. Cloud where metro development and tributaries from agriculture muddy the waters. The National Park Service says stretches of the river exceed water quality standards for things like mercury, bacteria and sediment.
Think of the testing like a checkup for one of our state’s most valuable and powerful resources. Researchers will check temperature, transparency and levels of pollutants like phosphorus, nitrogen and ammonia.
Crews also check fish for those contaminants and collect insects to test in a lab to identify any concerning trends.
“If we find the fish community is suffering — maybe the water is too warm and maybe there’s a thermal pollution source upstream or maybe it’s too much runoff — that sort of stuff. Temperature is an important indicator especially for sensitive species,” Isaac Martin with the MPCA said.
Also for the first time, the agency is looking for PFAS contamination with money from an Environmental Protection Agency grant to identify and stop the forever chemicals from streaming into the Mississippi.
PFAS are a group of manufactured chemicals for industry and consumer products that don’t break down in the environment. While research is ongoing, the EPA says exposure to the chemicals can cause human health issues. It’s why the federal agency just lowered the amount allowed in drinking water.
“They go to parts per trillion, which is incredibly sensitive. You get that low, you’re talking drops in an Olympic swimming pool,” Martin said. “Part of the reason why it was chosen is because it’s a primary drinking source or potentially could be a primary drinking source. We’re just finding them in places we never expected to find them. We’re finding them almost everywhere and being that it is new, there’s just a lot of ‘I don’t know’ that goes with it.”
It’s too early to know what this complete snapshot will reveal, but we know this powerful river is part of our community, economy and health.
“Maybe you don’t use the resource yourself, but maybe you know someone who does or future generations of your own will,” Martin said. “In Minnesota, we’re just trying to be the best stewards we can be.”
The data from this testing will be available early next year. Researchers will use that data and compare it to 10-year pollution averages to determine which parts of the river are improved or impaired.
A full report will be released in 2026.
Here are the candidates for SBLive’s Mississippi high school Athlete of the Week for August25-31. Read through the nominees and cast your vote. The poll will close Sunday at 11:59 p.m. If you would like to make a nomination in a future week, email Tyler@scorebooklive.com. For questions/issues with he poll, email athleteoftheweek@scorebooklive.com.
Editor’s note: Our Athlete of the Week feature and corresponding poll is intended to be fun, and we do not set limits on how many times a fan can vote during the competition. However, we do not allow votes that are generated by script, macro or other automated means. Athletes that receive votes generated by script, macro or other automated means will be disqualified.
Kohl Bradley, DB, George County: Racked up 17 tackles and returned an interception 80 yards for a touchdown in a 33-7 win over East Central.
DaJuan Colbert, DB, Natchez: Recorded 15 tackles, forced one fumble and returned another one 75 yards for a touchdown in a 58-50 win over Hancock.
Garrison Davis, QB, Holmes County Central: Completed 14 of his 21 pass attempts for 375 yards and three touchdowns in a 20-6 win over Vicksburg.
Xzavion Gainwell, DB, Yazoo County: Recorded nine tackles, an interception and an 80-yard interception return for a touchdown in the Panthers’ 20-16 win over South Delta.
Elijah Jones, RB, West Jones: Had 24 carries 226 yards and four touchdowns in a 34-6 win over Laurel.
Kingi McNair, WR, Pearl: Caught four passes for 160 yards and two touchdowns in a 26-20 win over Neshoba Central.
Ashton Nichols, DB, Clinton: Recorded six tackles to go with two big pass breakups, a blocked punt and a return for a touchdown in a 26-20 win over Warren Central.
Ethan Prater, RB, Pisgah: Rushed for 132 yards on 27 carries with three scores and caught a 60-yard touchdown pass in a 33-32 win over North Forrest.
Glen Singleton, RB, Madison Central: Rushed for 174 yards on 18 carries with all four touchdowns in a 27-20 win over Ocean Springs.
Damarius Yates, RB, Kemper County: Rushed for 193 yards on 17 carries and returned a kickoff 75 yards for a touchdown in a 38-15 win over Kosciusko.
Mississippi
‘If they cannot play Thalia Hall, they cannot play in Mississippi at all’: Broadway in Jackson speaks out about possible show cancellations
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – It’s been one month since Thalia Mara Hall closed its doors due to a mold outbreak.
Innovation Arts and Entertainment is the company responsible for bringing Broadway productions to Jackson.
Representatives from the company visited Jackson after hearing the building had been closed.
CEO Adam Epstein says the City of Jackson did not inform them of the news.
“We did not find out from anybody within the city. We found out by reading news clippings forwarded to us by other people in Jackson,” Epstein said.
Certified Industrial Hygienic Testing reported visible dirt, debris, and suspected mold growth on many surfaces.
Epstein fears this could change the possibility of bigger shows coming to the capital city.
“They’re going to skip over us because of this mess. We need to show as a community that Jackson cares about this valuable asset and that we demand our elected leaders to support and treat this really, incredibly valuable asset with the TLC it deserves,” he said.
Thalia Mara Hall is the only venue in the state that can host a Broadway production due to the technical needs and accommodations required.
“Touring theatrical shows. If they cannot play Thalia Hall, they cannot play in Mississippi at all,” he said.
Broadway in Jackson is not only a great source of entertainment in the city, but it’s also beneficial economically.
“Those other businesses don’t benefit. The city doesn’t earn tax revenue from events that we present. They don’t earn rental income from the events we present. They don’t earn facility fees from the events we present. This is a real tragedy. It’s unacceptable.”
The well-being of the potential audience is the company’s main priority.
“I will not risk our ticket buyers’ health and safety and comfort. Our shows can and will cancel before we’d ever put somebody in jeopardy. We’ve issued a 100% guarantee of a full refund if the venue is not given a clean bill of health,” Epstein said.
All shows will be canceled on a case-to-case basis.
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