Dec. 26 (UPI) — Jackson, Miss., os under a boil water advisory Monday as “significant leaks” have left thousands of residents without running water since Christmas Day.
City of Jackson Water/Sewer Utilities Division issued the boil advisory after a loss of water system pressure, which indicated leaks in the system. As of early Monday afternoon, the department was still struggling to return pressure to the system.
“We are producing significant amounts of water and pushing that into the system but the pressure is not increasing — despite those efforts at the plants,” the city of Jackson said on Facebook.
“The issue has to be significant leaks in the system that we have yet to identify. We are continuing the search today, supplementing our workforce with EPA and contractor resources.”
Residential and business water customers were asked to check for leaks at their properties and turn off all faucets on Sunday. Once water pressure is restored, the boil order will remain in effect as sediment and pollutants will need to be flushed out of the system.
Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said the leaks were caused by freezing temperatures that swept over the United States in the last week. Temperatures in Jackson reached as low as 11 degrees fahrenheit.
Jackson beared a water crisis in August after torrential rains caused massive flooding and led to the water treatment system failing.
In November, the Justice Department filed a complaint against the city over “long-standing failures in the city of Jackson’s public drinking water system.” Jackson reached an agreement with the Justice Department to install an interim third-party manager to oversee the water system.
The city set up several water distribution sites. Those who are unable to travel to a distribution site are asked to call (601) 960-1875.
