The Emergency Order will remain in effect for not more than 120 days. The State Health Officer may extend for additional periods of 30 days, to the extent deemed appropriate.
On Tuesday, the State Health Officer released an Emergency Order regarding the City of Jackson water.
“Pursuant to the Mississippi Safe Drinking Water Act of 1997 ( §41-26-1 et sec.), the Mississippi State Department of Health, upon receipt of information that emergency circumstances exist for customers of the City of Jackson, Mississippi drinking water system to receive safe drinking water and that a public water system emergency exists, is imminent or can reasonably be expected to occur without the immediate implementation of additional staffing and remediation measures hereby declares a public drinking water supply emergency in the City of Jackson, Mississippi,” a release from MSDH states.
MSDH said that the Declaration is based upon the following information received:
- Insufficient number of certified operators at J.H. Fewell and O.B. Curtis Water Treatment Plants
- Insufficient number of maintenance staff at all water treatment plants and to support the distribution system
- Failure of multiple raw water pumps at O.B. Curtis Water Treatment Plant
- Low levels of water in storage tank
- Low water pressure impacting proper sanitation and education opportunities
- Disinfection levels not consistently optimal developing the potential to have the presence of enteric organisms, including but not limited to, E.Coli, Cryptosporidium, or Giardia in the drinking water being served to customers.
You can read the Order below:
Pursuant to §41-26-7 of Mississippi Safe Drinking Water Act of 1997 and based on the Declaration, the State Health Officer hereby orders that the City of Jackson including, but not limited to, employees of the Public Works Department and Emergency Management immediately cooperate with state response teams and contractors deployed to augment current staffing and to take remediation actions deemed necessary by the State Incident Commander.
Notwithstanding the requirements of this Order, the City of Jackson shall continue to be responsible for compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act, any U.S. EPA Emergency Administrative Orders, and implement all applicable monitoring and reporting requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Compliance with this Order shall not in any way be construed to relieve the City of Jackson from its obligations to comply with all provisions of federal, state, or local law.
This Order shall remain in full force and effect for not more than one hundred twenty (120) days. The State Health Officer may extend such Order for additional periods of thirty (30) days, to the extent deemed appropriate.
Anne Summerhays
