Jackson Clarion-Ledger
Mississippi governor and Jackson mayor appear together for second time at Jackson State
Wicker Perlis
In their second joint news conference since the water crisis began in Jackson more than a week ago, Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and Gov. Tate Reeves appeared side-by-side Wednesday.
Joining them at the Jackson State University Student Center was Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan.
The three men appeared to present a unified front as the state's capital city entered the next stage of potential improvements to its failing water system. Pressure in the system has been elevated to levels it has not seen in years, and despite some concern over water tank levels decreasing Tuesday, those levels have again increased, according to the city.
"Significant gains were made overnight in the overhead storage tanks. We have restored the margin that had been depleted Monday. All storage tanks have stable water levels; no tanks are reporting low at this time," city spokesperson Justin Vicory said in a news release Wednesday morning.
Conflict between the mayor and the governor, and the city and state governments more broadly, had escalated in recent days. On Monday, after the city mistakenly sent out a release claiming the two men would appear together, the governor said that Jackson has no long-term plan that is sufficient to fix all of the problems plaguing the water system. Then, on Tuesday, the mayor held his own press conference where he detailed what he viewed as the various plans the city had presented to the state to fund some of the highest priority repairs.
"I think that the relationship between the state and the city, if we're honest, has been contentious as long as I've known it, but you know, the fact that we're all in the room is a plus, and that's what we've been asking for for some time," Lumumba said after the news conference Wednesday. "We don't feel that we can iron out complex issues without at least being at the table, so the fact that we're at the table I think is a plus, and we need to build on that. We need to remain at the table, we need to continue to lean in and make certain that we are coming with the sincerity to see this problem resolved."
Reeves, Lumumba and Regan spent much of Wednesday in discussions, which Lumumba called "fruitful," on what resources are available and how the city, state and federal governments can work together to form a plan. They were joined by U.S. Reps. Bennie Thompson and Michael Guest, who each represent part of Jackson, along with U.S. Sens. Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith, both of whom participated virtually from Washington D.C.
"We had a very good conversation about the urgency of staying close and working in a coordinated fashion for the people of Jackson," Regan said. "We're putting together a construct by which state, federal and local entities can come together and access the resources that we believe are available to the people of Jackson."
Reeves thanked Regan for coming to Jackson and JSU for hosting the news conference.
"Really the conversation that we had was largely focused on both the intermediate and long-term. You've heard me say repeatedly since last Monday night that we have a short-term, short-run, emergency that must be dealt with," Reeves said. "Initially that was dealing with the quantity of water coming out of the facility in addition to the quality of water. At least, as of an hour ago, we have addressed the quantity of water issue, which is certainly very positive. We're working now, continue to work, with the department of health, the city and other federal partners to address the quality of water so as to hopefully get that boil-water notice lifted sooner rather than later."
As to when that will occur, allowing residents of Jackson to drink their tap water without first boiling it, Reeves said investigative tests are ongoing at the O.B. Curtis Water Treatment Plant. While he described the results of those tests as "positive," he said it will take time for bad water in the system to be flushed out by what the plant is now producing.
"Just to be clear, and I'm certainly not an expert but this is what the experts have told me, if you're producing perfectly clean water out of the facility it typically takes about three days to get the entire system flushed out," Reeves said. "And that's with everything working perfectly, so I don't think Friday is a realistic goal, but I do think as you get into the weekend and get into early next week we will have a better idea of the samples and what the quality looks like."
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Reeves has often cited Thompson for agreeing with him that the city's plans have not been sufficient to receive state or federal funding. Thompson said that there are federal programs the city could have been taking advantage of for some time but have not been.
"A lot of those investments are going to require a plan, so at some point when you ask any of those agencies to invest in your water system, that plan is needed," Thompson said. "Where we are today, it looks like we're closer to getting an understanding that resources are there, but none of those resources will be made available without a plan."
Lumumba echoed statements he made the day before that he believes the city has submitted a number of plans, but that he is grateful for the cooperation between the three levels of government and he hopes they can continue. He said when a portal to receive federal funds opens in October, the city is committed to applying with a plan, and if it is insufficient, as Reeves and Thompson have said about past plans, he hopes that the city will get the feedback it needs in order to provide more information.
"We also come to the table humbly, and I want to be clear on this. Anything that the city of Jackson is submitting that is insufficient to meet its need, what we are expressing is our critical need and our desire for the support, and so we're willing to make adjustments where necessary," Lumumba said.
Though Thompson said he was not familiar with the documents Lumumba shared in Tuesday's news conference, he said the federal government does provide funding to help local governments properly apply for funds, and that Jackson should take advantage of that.
As for Reeves, he said "our administration wants to work with the city."