Jackson state of emergency ends but is the crisis over?

Governor Tate Reeves has issued an executive order officially ending the state of emergency surrounding the city of Jackson’s water crisis.

Governor Tate Reeves has issued an executive order officially ending the state of emergency surrounding the city of Jackson’s water crisis.

The emergency is over because the water has finally been deemed safe to drink after a boil water alert was in place for nearly a month while repairs were carried out at water treatment works.

Two matters are outstanding.  The city is refusing to hire routine maintenance staff, and the Jackson City Council has unanimously approved an agreement with the federal government regarding appointing a third-party administrator to operate the city’s water system.

The Governor’s words were damning of previous management: “I am hopeful that the federal government’s efforts to take control away from incompetent hands will wrap up swiftly.”

Once in competent hands, there will still be a lot of work to do over many years to assure a safe and reliable supply of potable water.

Photo by National Guard under Creative Commons license.