Jackson Water System Struggles Continue

Mississippi lawmakers are giving up on an effort to create a state-dominated board to oversee the troubled water system in the state’s capital city.

But, the Republican-controlled state Legislature is still considering proposals to appoint rather than elect some judges and to expand the territory of a state-run police department inside Jackson, which is governed by Democrats.

Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba has sharply criticized white lawmakers’ attempts to assert state control in Jackson, which has the highest percentage of Black residents of any major U.S. city.

The Jackson water system has been struggling for years and nearly collapsed in August and September, leaving most people in the city of 150,000 without running water to drink, bathe, wash dishes or flush toilets. Parts of the city lost water again during a cold snap in December.

In November, the federal government appointed Ted Henifin, an experienced administrator from Virginia, to oversee Jackson’s water system. The federal government also has allocated hundreds of millions of dollars for Jackson water improvements. (Excerpt from Independent.)