The City of Jackson is working to improve water availability after identifying “approximately 20 to 25 active leaks,” with crews “searching and repairing leaks,” Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba said at a press conference Wednesday afternoon.
“Our goal is to try to get the pressure stable, samples pooled and tested, and the precautionary notice lifted by Saturday,” the mayor added. “Now I will say that that is a bit of an ambitious goal, but nonetheless that is what we are focused on making happen at this time.”
He noted the interim third-party administrator Ted Henifin said that Jackson saw improvements on Tuesday “due to people turning off their faucets from the active drip that many residents may have implemented.”
At a press conference on Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022, the mayor had said that the capital city was dealing with the “worst-case scenario” because of the cold front that hit Jackson over the weekend.
He noted that some residents “have not had water for days” and explained the City’s efforts to rectify the problem as water leaks from pipe bursts hamper efforts to increase water pressure throughout Jackson, which has been under a boil-water notice since Dec. 25, 2022.
The City of Jackson is under a precautionary boil-water notice following the cold front that caused pipe breaks. Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba said on Dec. 28, 2022, that officials are working to ensure the notice is lifted by Dec. 31, 2022. Photo by Imani on Unsplash
“As they’ve increased pressure, they have not seen the response that they wanted in the system,” Lumumba said. “And so their concern is to find where potential loss could be taking place.”
“I’ve spoken to residents whose families have been in town for the holidays, who were scrambling to fix Christmas dinner, with little to no water,” the mayor said Tuesday. “There is no way to prevent what is happening to our water-treatment facility. We do not control mother nature.”
Memphis, Tenn., and cities across Louisiana are also under boil-water notices because of the effects freezing temperatures have had on pipes.
‘We Haven’t … Replaced Hundreds of
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