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Home / News / Jackson water crisis: Brown water from faucets, boil advisory in place
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Jackson water crisis: Brown water from faucets, boil advisory in place

Aug 20, 2023Aug 20, 2023

Mississippi Today reporter Molly Minta turned on the faucet Friday at her home in the Belhaven neighborhood of Jackson and was met with brown water.

The video she posted on Twitter has been widely shared as an example of the ongoing water crisis in Mississippi's capital, which has left residents unable to drink water for nearly two weeks.

The city said it has restored water pressure, but people are still experiencing contaminated water. Here's what you need to know about the latest in Jackson:

After excessive rainfall led to flooding at the Pearl River in late August, one of the city's two water-treatment plants failed. Low or no water pressure left many residents without sufficient water to drink, bathe or flush toilets.

People in Jackson have had very low water pressure or discolored water coming from their faucets in the aftermath of the failure.

While officials say water pressure has returned to Jackson, there is still a boil-water advisory and 150,000 residents still lack drinking water.

People have lined up for hours for water bottles handed out by the city and organizations in recent weeks, and many are still relying on packaged water to cook and drink.

The boil-water advisory won't end this weekend, but the city said water pressure is holding steady at the O.B. Curtis treatment plant. Officials have been sampling the water at the plant, but aren't ready to sample the distribution system. When that begins, officials will need at least two straight days of clean samples before the boil-water advisory is lifted.

Jackson residents have been under a boil water advisory since July after the health department discovered cloudy water that could cause health issues.

Water problems are not uncommon in the city due to its aging infrastructure that is in desperate need of upgrades. Residents have faced concerns over lead, and a cold snap last year froze pipes, leaving them without water for weeks.

Experts say the issues in the majority-Black city are an example of American infrastructure failing low-income residents of color.

Contributing: The Mississippi Clarion Ledger; The Associated Press