Governor Tate Reeves has announced that he is extending the state of emergency regarding Mississippi’s capital city’s water system until November 22.
According to a statement released by Reeves, Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba announced that the city of Jackson will have a contract with a private operator in place by November 17. The expiration date of the state of emergency will allow for a five-day transition period between the state’s management team and the chosen private operator.
“At that point, the state of emergency must, by statute, end as the water system can be managed solely by local control, as has been insisted upon by the city of Jackson. The State of Emergency must only exist when a situation is beyond local control and the city of Jackson has demanded local control,” the release states.
The governor claimed that the state has invested nearly $13 million in efforts to repair Jackson’s water system since the initial state of emergency declaration on August 30 and attributed issues plaguing the O.B. Curtis plant to years of neglect.
