Congress To Conduct Probe Into Jackson Water Crisis and Mississippi’s Use of Billions In Federal Funding

Congress has begun an investigation into the Jackson water crisis that left the majority of Blacks in the Mississippi capital without running water for several days earlier this summer.

CBS News reports Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), whose district includes most of Jackson, and Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) sent a letter to Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves requesting information on how the state plans to spend the $10 billion it received from the American Rescue Plan, and the $429 million designated to enhance the state’s water infrastructure.

Additionally, the letter indicates that the Department of Homeland Security and the Oversight and Reform Committees will begin a joint investigation into the water crisis that left 150,000 residents without water, forcing businesses to close and Jackson State University students to withdraw.

The Jackson water crisis began in late August when severe storms in the Magnolia State flooded the Pearl River. It took several days to restore running water to the town, which was under a boil-water notice from late July through mid-September after the state health department discovered cloudy water that could make people sick.

The situation has reminded Black Americans of the Flint water crisis and the continued environmental racism plaguing Black areas across the U.S.

Jackson residents have dealt with problems concerning their water and its infrastructure for years. The Clarion-Ledger released a report, drafted by the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting, revealing Jackson’s century-old pipes, faulty meters, malfunctioning water treatment plants, and a significant lack of funding to solve just one of these issues. Some residents say they still can’t boil water because nothing is coming out of the pipes but air.

Thompson and Maloney also requested a breakdown of where the state sent funds from the American Rescue Plan and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, including the racial breakdown and populations of each community that received aid and information on whether the city has faced hurdles in requesting and receiving additional federal funds. The representatives gave Gov. Reeves an October 31 deadline.

Additionally, the letter stated that the Oversight Committee staff discovered from Jackson’s officials that the state tried to limit funding to Jackson for its water system and cited reporting by the Associated Press that Gov. Reeves delayed and blocked funds for water system repairs in Jackson.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sent a notice in January to Jackson saying its water system violates the federal Safe Drinking Water Act and threatened legal action last month if the city did not agree to negotiations to fix the system.