The United States filed a proposal that would appoint an interim third-party manager to stabilize the Jackson drinking water system if approved by the court.
At this time, the city of Jackson and the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) have signed the order and agreed to its terms.
According to court filings, the proposal – which is called a “proposed stipulated order” – is meant to serve as an interim measure while negotiations between the United States, the city, and MSDH to bring the water system into compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) transpire.
The proposal would grant the interim third-party manager to do the following:
- Operate and maintain the city’s public drinking water system in compliance with SDWA, the Mississippi Safe Drinking Water Act, and related regulations;
- Take charge of the Water Sewer Business Administration, the arm of the city responsible for billing water users;
- Implement capital improvements to the city’s public drinking water system, in particular, a set of priority projects meant to improve the system’s near-term stability, including a winterization project meant to make the system less vulnerable to winter storms; and
- Correct conditions within the city’s public drinking water system that present, or may present, an imminent and substantial endangerment to the health of the city’s residents.
The Justice Department, on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has also filed a complaint against the city alleging that the city has failed to provide drinking water that is reliably compliant with the SDWA.
“Over the past year, I’ve had the privilege to spend time with people on the ground in Jackson – many who’ve struggled with access to safe and reliable water for years,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “I pledged that EPA would do everything in its power to ensure the people of Jackson have clean and dependable water, now and into the future. While there is much more work ahead, the Justice Department’s action marks a critical moment on the path to securing clean, safe water for Jackson residents.”
The post Jackson, MSDH agree to appoint interim third-party manager for water system appeared first on SuperTalk Mississippi.