Comment The water crisis unfolding in Mississippi’s capital this week has forced schools to turn to virtual learning, led to widespread distribution of bottled water and left Jackson’s mostly black population without enough pressure to reliably flush toilets or fight fires. The dilapidated water infrastructure in Jackson — where about 150,000 residents were under a boil alert even before heavy rains and river flooding overwhelmed the system this weekend — is plagued by decades of underinvestment and delayed maintenance. But it also foreshadows what could soon happen to other U.S. communities as the worsening effects of climate change push under-resourced and overburdened water systems to the brink. “Every public drinking water system in the country is vulnerable to a natural disaster,” said Andrew Whelton, an environmental engineer at Purdue University who has advised utilities and the US military on water security. “But many are not really prepared to respond in the way that it will take.” Generation-old drains are usually overwhelmed by larger storms. Algal blooms and excessive sediment can contaminate reservoirs amid high temperatures and prolonged drought. Rising sea levels can clog septic systems and cause saltwater to wash into wells. When wildfires destroy water mains and spread chemical contamination, it can take months to make drinking water safe again. But experts say the risk is greatest in places like Jackson — low-income communities of color that face fragile and troubled water infrastructure. A 2019 study reported in the Annals of the American Association of Geographers found that Black, Latino, Native American, and Alaska Native households are disproportionately likely to be “plumbing poor.” “You can’t define structural racism more clearly than the management of infrastructure in this country,” said public policy researcher Andre Perry, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, a D.C. think tank. Unequal water systems “literally set the stage for racial disparities,” he added. And climate change is compounding the damage. Black Jackson residents hope infrastructure bill will fix city’s water woes — if state allows it Although battles over Jackson’s water quality go back decades and include a tug-of-war between state and local officials over responsibility, it was a month of historic rainfall that posed a persistent problem in the current emergency. A large, slow storm swelled the Pearl River beyond flood stage and caused water to spill onto the streets. The rainfall and subsequent flooding destroyed the city’s main water treatment plant. pump failures compounded the damage, leaving the city unable to provide a steady flow of safe water. When water pressure drops, as it has in Jackson, it also allows pollutants to enter the system, Whelton said. Germ-laden flood waters leak holes in pipes. Soil toxins and spilled chemicals can find their way into the drinking supply. When a community’s water infrastructure is old, corroded or exposed to the elements, it becomes much easier for contamination to enter. In Jackson’s system, which contains 1,500 miles of water main, Whelton said the pressure dropped so low that the water was not only unsafe to drink — it couldn’t even reach the ends of the pipes. “That means you’ve lost complete control of your water system,” he said. The result was surprising to those outside of Mississippi, but no surprise to those who have struggled with Jackson’s weak system. “I’ve said on many occasions that it’s not a matter of if our system will fail, it’s a matter of when our system will fail,” Jackson Mayor Chokwe Adar Lumumba said during a press conference Tuesday afternoon. Late Tuesday, President Biden approved an emergency declaration for the water crisis in Jackson, which will free up additional federal resources to help state and local officials as they deal with the disaster. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has deployed personnel to the state’s emergency operations center, White House press secretary Karin Jean-Pierre said. In the meantime, the Environmental Protection Agency will send an expert to assess the Jackson treatment plant and is working to expedite the delivery of any equipment needed for repairs. The city also announced Wednesday that it will distribute bottled water to residents and provide non-potable water to be used for toilet flushing, laundry and cleaning. Jackson’s water crisis comes after years of neglect: ‘We were going it alone’ But while Jackson’s water struggles take center stage this week, his situation is not unique. In recent weeks, nearly half a dozen 1,000-year rainfall events have ravaged places like Eastern Kentucky, St. Louis and Dallas. The American Society of Civil Engineers has expressed serious concerns about the nation’s drinking water infrastructure, giving it a C-minus in its latest report card. “The system is aging and underfunded,” the group wrote in its assessment, noting that there is a water outage every two minutes and an estimated 6 billion gallons of treated water are lost each day in the United States — enough to cover more than 9,000 swimming pools. swimming pools. US stormwater infrastructure scored even lower, with engineers warning that few systems could afford the high cost of retrofits to deal with flooding linked to climate change. “The need for transformative change in how we adapt to this challenge has never been more urgent,” said Melissa Roberts, executive director of the American Flood Coalition, in an email. “We’re now seeing amounts of rainfall that previously would have taken several days in a matter of hours,” Roberts said. “As a result, many of our current stormwater systems are being overwhelmed.” How does the weather this summer compare to when you were a kid? It is not only floods that can endanger water infrastructure. When the deadliest wildfire in California history hit the city of Paradise in 2018, the local drinking water was contaminated with cancer-causing benzene and other dangerous substances. Rainfall following the fire dumped ash and burning debris into local lakes and streams, contaminating the community’s water sources. Even household filters weren’t enough to remove the pollution, the county health department warned. On the other side of the country, in Lowndes County, Ala., activists say climate change has worsened longstanding drainage problems, preventing soil from absorbing sewage from septic tanks and causing raw waste to flow into people’s yards and homes. The Justice Department last year launched an investigation into whether the county discriminated against its mostly black residents by denying access to adequate sanitation facilities. Mukesh Kumar, a former Jackson State professor and director of planning for Jackson, said cities across the country have to deal not only with aging infrastructure, but infrastructure that was built to withstand the challenges of a bygone era. “Now we’re suddenly expecting all this infrastructure to operate under more stressful conditions,” said Kumar, now director of the Waco Metropolitan Planning Organization in Texas. “The scariest part for me is how much we don’t know,” he added. “Even as we make progress in understanding climate change and its impacts, we still cannot identify the vulnerabilities in every system.” At the same time, Kumar said more and more communities are working to make water and sanitation systems more resilient in a way that wasn’t the case in the past. And new spending from Congress will bolster those efforts. “This is a uniquely wonderful resource” and one that comes at a critical time, he said. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Act passed last year provided the EPA with more than $50 billion to upgrade stormwater and sewer systems, protect waterways from climate-related threats, replace damaged or dangerous service lines and other water infrastructure improvements; In a letter instructing governors to focus their efforts on disadvantaged areas, EPA Administrator Michael Regan singled out Jackson as a city in need of support. This year’s Inflation Reduction Act provided a further boost to water systems, including funds to improve water access to vulnerable communities, prevent stormwater runoff and mitigate drought. But Whelton, the environmental engineer, said governments are still not investing enough in the human aspects of disaster management, such as training for utility managers and technical assistance for systems in turmoil. “Most people like to fix pipes and take pictures,” he said. “But when it comes time to make decisions about an ongoing disaster, the resources aren’t always there.” For now, Jackson’s acute crisis remains, with no end in sight. “This is our reality,” said De’keither Stamps, who represents Jackson in the state legislature. “We have been in a continuous state of emergency for a long time. Stamps said there is “plenty of blame to go around” for how the city got into such dire straits. But blame and dysfunction won’t address the current problems — and those likely to lie ahead, he said. “Leadership at every level should work more collaboratively, from local to state to federal,” Stamps said. “We cannot allow tragedy to happen and move on from it without serious investment to address it.” Sign up for the latest news on climate change, energy and the environment, delivered every Thursday
title: “Jackson S Water Crisis Marks A Bigger Loss To The Climate Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-18” author: “Charlene Rasmussen”
Comment The water crisis unfolding in Mississippi’s capital this week has forced schools to turn to virtual learning, led to widespread distribution of bottled water and left Jackson’s mostly black population without enough pressure to reliably flush toilets or fight fires. The dilapidated water infrastructure in Jackson — where about 150,000 residents were under a boil alert even before heavy rains and river flooding overwhelmed the system this weekend — is plagued by decades of underinvestment and delayed maintenance. But it also foreshadows what could soon happen to other U.S. communities as the worsening effects of climate change push under-resourced and overburdened water systems to the brink. “Every public drinking water system in the country is vulnerable to a natural disaster,” said Andrew Whelton, an environmental engineer at Purdue University who has advised utilities and the US military on water security. “But many are not really prepared to respond in the way that it will take.” Generation-old drains are usually overwhelmed by larger storms. Algal blooms and excessive sediment can contaminate reservoirs amid high temperatures and prolonged drought. Rising sea levels can clog septic systems and cause saltwater to wash into wells. When wildfires destroy water mains and spread chemical contamination, it can take months to make drinking water safe again. But experts say the risk is greatest in places like Jackson — low-income communities of color that face fragile and troubled water infrastructure. A 2019 study reported in the Annals of the American Association of Geographers found that Black, Latino, Native American, and Alaska Native households are disproportionately likely to be “plumbing poor.” “You can’t define structural racism more clearly than the management of infrastructure in this country,” said public policy researcher Andre Perry, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, a D.C. think tank. Unequal water systems “literally set the stage for racial disparities,” he added. And climate change is compounding the damage. Black Jackson residents hope infrastructure bill will fix city’s water woes — if state allows it Although battles over Jackson’s water quality go back decades and include a tug-of-war between state and local officials over responsibility, it was a month of historic rainfall that posed a persistent problem in the current emergency. A large, slow storm swelled the Pearl River beyond flood stage and caused water to spill onto the streets. The rainfall and subsequent flooding destroyed the city’s main water treatment plant. pump failures compounded the damage, leaving the city unable to provide a steady flow of safe water. When water pressure drops, as it has in Jackson, it also allows pollutants to enter the system, Whelton said. Germ-laden flood waters leak holes in pipes. Soil toxins and spilled chemicals can find their way into the drinking supply. When a community’s water infrastructure is old, corroded or exposed to the elements, it becomes much easier for contamination to enter. In Jackson’s system, which contains 1,500 miles of water main, Whelton said the pressure dropped so low that the water was not only unsafe to drink — it couldn’t even reach the ends of the pipes. “That means you’ve lost complete control of your water system,” he said. The result was surprising to those outside of Mississippi, but no surprise to those who have struggled with Jackson’s weak system. “I’ve said on many occasions that it’s not a matter of if our system will fail, it’s a matter of when our system will fail,” Jackson Mayor Chokwe Adar Lumumba said during a press conference Tuesday afternoon. Late Tuesday, President Biden approved an emergency declaration for the water crisis in Jackson, which will free up additional federal resources to help state and local officials as they deal with the disaster. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has deployed personnel to the state’s emergency operations center, White House press secretary Karin Jean-Pierre said. In the meantime, the Environmental Protection Agency will send an expert to assess the Jackson treatment plant and is working to expedite the delivery of any equipment needed for repairs. The city also announced Wednesday that it will distribute bottled water to residents and provide non-potable water to be used for toilet flushing, laundry and cleaning. Jackson’s water crisis comes after years of neglect: ‘We were going it alone’ But while Jackson’s water struggles take center stage this week, his situation is not unique. In recent weeks, nearly half a dozen 1,000-year rainfall events have ravaged places like Eastern Kentucky, St. Louis and Dallas. The American Society of Civil Engineers has expressed serious concerns about the nation’s drinking water infrastructure, giving it a C-minus in its latest report card. “The system is aging and underfunded,” the group wrote in its assessment, noting that there is a water outage every two minutes and an estimated 6 billion gallons of treated water are lost each day in the United States — enough to cover more than 9,000 swimming pools. swimming pools. US stormwater infrastructure scored even lower, with engineers warning that few systems could afford the high cost of retrofits to deal with flooding linked to climate change. “The need for transformative change in how we adapt to this challenge has never been more urgent,” said Melissa Roberts, executive director of the American Flood Coalition, in an email. “We’re now seeing amounts of rainfall that previously would have taken several days in a matter of hours,” Roberts said. “As a result, many of our current stormwater systems are being overwhelmed.” How does the weather this summer compare to when you were a kid? It is not only floods that can endanger water infrastructure. When the deadliest wildfire in California history hit the city of Paradise in 2018, the local drinking water was contaminated with cancer-causing benzene and other dangerous substances. Rainfall following the fire dumped ash and burning debris into local lakes and streams, contaminating the community’s water sources. Even household filters weren’t enough to remove the pollution, the county health department warned. On the other side of the country, in Lowndes County, Ala., activists say climate change has worsened longstanding drainage problems, preventing soil from absorbing sewage from septic tanks and causing raw waste to flow into people’s yards and homes. The Justice Department last year launched an investigation into whether the county discriminated against its mostly black residents by denying access to adequate sanitation facilities. Mukesh Kumar, a former Jackson State professor and director of planning for Jackson, said cities across the country have to deal not only with aging infrastructure, but infrastructure that was built to withstand the challenges of a bygone era. “Now we’re suddenly expecting all this infrastructure to operate under more stressful conditions,” said Kumar, now director of the Waco Metropolitan Planning Organization in Texas. “The scariest part for me is how much we don’t know,” he added. “Even as we make progress in understanding climate change and its impacts, we still cannot identify the vulnerabilities in every system.” At the same time, Kumar said more and more communities are working to make water and sanitation systems more resilient in a way that wasn’t the case in the past. And new spending from Congress will bolster those efforts. “This is a uniquely wonderful resource” and one that comes at a critical time, he said. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Act passed last year provided the EPA with more than $50 billion to upgrade stormwater and sewer systems, protect waterways from climate-related threats, replace damaged or dangerous service lines and other water infrastructure improvements; In a letter instructing governors to focus their efforts on disadvantaged areas, EPA Administrator Michael Regan singled out Jackson as a city in need of support. This year’s Inflation Reduction Act provided a further boost to water systems, including funds to improve water access to vulnerable communities, prevent stormwater runoff and mitigate drought. But Whelton, the environmental engineer, said governments are still not investing enough in the human aspects of disaster management, such as training for utility managers and technical assistance for systems in turmoil. “Most people like to fix pipes and take pictures,” he said. “But when it comes time to make decisions about an ongoing disaster, the resources aren’t always there.” For now, Jackson’s acute crisis remains, with no end in sight. “This is our reality,” said De’keither Stamps, who represents Jackson in the state legislature. “We have been in a continuous state of emergency for a long time. Stamps said there is “plenty of blame to go around” for how the city got into such dire straits. But blame and dysfunction won’t address the current problems — and those likely to lie ahead, he said. “Leadership at every level should work more collaboratively, from local to state to federal,” Stamps said. “We cannot allow tragedy to happen and move on from it without serious investment to address it.” Sign up for the latest news on climate change, energy and the environment, delivered every Thursday
title: “Jackson S Water Crisis Marks A Bigger Loss To The Climate Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-10-21” author: “Joseph Fontenot”
Comment The water crisis unfolding in Mississippi’s capital this week has forced schools to turn to virtual learning, led to widespread distribution of bottled water and left Jackson’s mostly black population without enough pressure to reliably flush toilets or fight fires. The dilapidated water infrastructure in Jackson — where about 150,000 residents were under a boil alert even before heavy rains and river flooding overwhelmed the system this weekend — is plagued by decades of underinvestment and delayed maintenance. But it also foreshadows what could soon happen to other U.S. communities as the worsening effects of climate change push under-resourced and overburdened water systems to the brink. “Every public drinking water system in the country is vulnerable to a natural disaster,” said Andrew Whelton, an environmental engineer at Purdue University who has advised utilities and the US military on water security. “But many are not really prepared to respond in the way that it will take.” Generation-old drains are usually overwhelmed by larger storms. Algal blooms and excessive sediment can contaminate reservoirs amid high temperatures and prolonged drought. Rising sea levels can clog septic systems and cause saltwater to wash into wells. When wildfires destroy water mains and spread chemical contamination, it can take months to make drinking water safe again. But experts say the risk is greatest in places like Jackson — low-income communities of color that face fragile and troubled water infrastructure. A 2019 study reported in the Annals of the American Association of Geographers found that Black, Latino, Native American, and Alaska Native households are disproportionately likely to be “plumbing poor.” “You can’t define structural racism more clearly than the management of infrastructure in this country,” said public policy researcher Andre Perry, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, a D.C. think tank. Unequal water systems “literally set the stage for racial disparities,” he added. And climate change is compounding the damage. Black Jackson residents hope infrastructure bill will fix city’s water woes — if state allows it Although battles over Jackson’s water quality go back decades and include a tug-of-war between state and local officials over responsibility, it was a month of historic rainfall that posed a persistent problem in the current emergency. A large, slow storm swelled the Pearl River beyond flood stage and caused water to spill onto the streets. The rainfall and subsequent flooding destroyed the city’s main water treatment plant. pump failures compounded the damage, leaving the city unable to provide a steady flow of safe water. When water pressure drops, as it has in Jackson, it also allows pollutants to enter the system, Whelton said. Germ-laden flood waters leak holes in pipes. Soil toxins and spilled chemicals can find their way into the drinking supply. When a community’s water infrastructure is old, corroded or exposed to the elements, it becomes much easier for contamination to enter. In Jackson’s system, which contains 1,500 miles of water main, Whelton said the pressure dropped so low that the water was not only unsafe to drink — it couldn’t even reach the ends of the pipes. “That means you’ve lost complete control of your water system,” he said. The result was surprising to those outside of Mississippi, but no surprise to those who have struggled with Jackson’s weak system. “I’ve said on many occasions that it’s not a matter of if our system will fail, it’s a matter of when our system will fail,” Jackson Mayor Chokwe Adar Lumumba said during a press conference Tuesday afternoon. Late Tuesday, President Biden approved an emergency declaration for the water crisis in Jackson, which will free up additional federal resources to help state and local officials as they deal with the disaster. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has deployed personnel to the state’s emergency operations center, White House press secretary Karin Jean-Pierre said. In the meantime, the Environmental Protection Agency will send an expert to assess the Jackson treatment plant and is working to expedite the delivery of any equipment needed for repairs. The city also announced Wednesday that it will distribute bottled water to residents and provide non-potable water to be used for toilet flushing, laundry and cleaning. Jackson’s water crisis comes after years of neglect: ‘We were going it alone’ But while Jackson’s water struggles take center stage this week, his situation is not unique. In recent weeks, nearly half a dozen 1,000-year rainfall events have ravaged places like Eastern Kentucky, St. Louis and Dallas. The American Society of Civil Engineers has expressed serious concerns about the nation’s drinking water infrastructure, giving it a C-minus in its latest report card. “The system is aging and underfunded,” the group wrote in its assessment, noting that there is a water outage every two minutes and an estimated 6 billion gallons of treated water are lost each day in the United States — enough to cover more than 9,000 swimming pools. swimming pools. US stormwater infrastructure scored even lower, with engineers warning that few systems could afford the high cost of retrofits to deal with flooding linked to climate change. “The need for transformative change in how we adapt to this challenge has never been more urgent,” said Melissa Roberts, executive director of the American Flood Coalition, in an email. “We’re now seeing amounts of rainfall that previously would have taken several days in a matter of hours,” Roberts said. “As a result, many of our current stormwater systems are being overwhelmed.” How does the weather this summer compare to when you were a kid? It is not only floods that can endanger water infrastructure. When the deadliest wildfire in California history hit the city of Paradise in 2018, the local drinking water was contaminated with cancer-causing benzene and other dangerous substances. Rainfall following the fire dumped ash and burning debris into local lakes and streams, contaminating the community’s water sources. Even household filters weren’t enough to remove the pollution, the county health department warned. On the other side of the country, in Lowndes County, Ala., activists say climate change has worsened longstanding drainage problems, preventing soil from absorbing sewage from septic tanks and causing raw waste to flow into people’s yards and homes. The Justice Department last year launched an investigation into whether the county discriminated against its mostly black residents by denying access to adequate sanitation facilities. Mukesh Kumar, a former Jackson State professor and director of planning for Jackson, said cities across the country have to deal not only with aging infrastructure, but infrastructure that was built to withstand the challenges of a bygone era. “Now we’re suddenly expecting all this infrastructure to operate under more stressful conditions,” said Kumar, now director of the Waco Metropolitan Planning Organization in Texas. “The scariest part for me is how much we don’t know,” he added. “Even as we make progress in understanding climate change and its impacts, we still cannot identify the vulnerabilities in every system.” At the same time, Kumar said more and more communities are working to make water and sanitation systems more resilient in a way that wasn’t the case in the past. And new spending from Congress will bolster those efforts. “This is a uniquely wonderful resource” and one that comes at a critical time, he said. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Act passed last year provided the EPA with more than $50 billion to upgrade stormwater and sewer systems, protect waterways from climate-related threats, replace damaged or dangerous service lines and other water infrastructure improvements; In a letter instructing governors to focus their efforts on disadvantaged areas, EPA Administrator Michael Regan singled out Jackson as a city in need of support. This year’s Inflation Reduction Act provided a further boost to water systems, including funds to improve water access to vulnerable communities, prevent stormwater runoff and mitigate drought. But Whelton, the environmental engineer, said governments are still not investing enough in the human aspects of disaster management, such as training for utility managers and technical assistance for systems in turmoil. “Most people like to fix pipes and take pictures,” he said. “But when it comes time to make decisions about an ongoing disaster, the resources aren’t always there.” For now, Jackson’s acute crisis remains, with no end in sight. “This is our reality,” said De’keither Stamps, who represents Jackson in the state legislature. “We have been in a continuous state of emergency for a long time. Stamps said there is “plenty of blame to go around” for how the city got into such dire straits. But blame and dysfunction won’t address the current problems — and those likely to lie ahead, he said. “Leadership at every level should work more collaboratively, from local to state to federal,” Stamps said. “We cannot allow tragedy to happen and move on from it without serious investment to address it.” Sign up for the latest news on climate change, energy and the environment, delivered every Thursday
title: “Jackson S Water Crisis Marks A Bigger Loss To The Climate Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-04” author: “Lorraine Chaidez”
Comment The water crisis unfolding in Mississippi’s capital this week has forced schools to turn to virtual learning, led to widespread distribution of bottled water and left Jackson’s mostly black population without enough pressure to reliably flush toilets or fight fires. The dilapidated water infrastructure in Jackson — where about 150,000 residents were under a boil alert even before heavy rains and river flooding overwhelmed the system this weekend — is plagued by decades of underinvestment and delayed maintenance. But it also foreshadows what could soon happen to other U.S. communities as the worsening effects of climate change push under-resourced and overburdened water systems to the brink. “Every public drinking water system in the country is vulnerable to a natural disaster,” said Andrew Whelton, an environmental engineer at Purdue University who has advised utilities and the US military on water security. “But many are not really prepared to respond in the way that it will take.” Generation-old drains are usually overwhelmed by larger storms. Algal blooms and excessive sediment can contaminate reservoirs amid high temperatures and prolonged drought. Rising sea levels can clog septic systems and cause saltwater to wash into wells. When wildfires destroy water mains and spread chemical contamination, it can take months to make drinking water safe again. But experts say the risk is greatest in places like Jackson — low-income communities of color that face fragile and troubled water infrastructure. A 2019 study reported in the Annals of the American Association of Geographers found that Black, Latino, Native American, and Alaska Native households are disproportionately likely to be “plumbing poor.” “You can’t define structural racism more clearly than the management of infrastructure in this country,” said public policy researcher Andre Perry, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, a D.C. think tank. Unequal water systems “literally set the stage for racial disparities,” he added. And climate change is compounding the damage. Black Jackson residents hope infrastructure bill will fix city’s water woes — if state allows it Although battles over Jackson’s water quality go back decades and include a tug-of-war between state and local officials over responsibility, it was a month of historic rainfall that posed a persistent problem in the current emergency. A large, slow storm swelled the Pearl River beyond flood stage and caused water to spill onto the streets. The rainfall and subsequent flooding destroyed the city’s main water treatment plant. pump failures compounded the damage, leaving the city unable to provide a steady flow of safe water. When water pressure drops, as it has in Jackson, it also allows pollutants to enter the system, Whelton said. Germ-laden flood waters leak holes in pipes. Soil toxins and spilled chemicals can find their way into the drinking supply. When a community’s water infrastructure is old, corroded or exposed to the elements, it becomes much easier for contamination to enter. In Jackson’s system, which contains 1,500 miles of water main, Whelton said the pressure dropped so low that the water was not only unsafe to drink — it couldn’t even reach the ends of the pipes. “That means you’ve lost complete control of your water system,” he said. The result was surprising to those outside of Mississippi, but no surprise to those who have struggled with Jackson’s weak system. “I’ve said on many occasions that it’s not a matter of if our system will fail, it’s a matter of when our system will fail,” Jackson Mayor Chokwe Adar Lumumba said during a press conference Tuesday afternoon. Late Tuesday, President Biden approved an emergency declaration for the water crisis in Jackson, which will free up additional federal resources to help state and local officials as they deal with the disaster. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has deployed personnel to the state’s emergency operations center, White House press secretary Karin Jean-Pierre said. In the meantime, the Environmental Protection Agency will send an expert to assess the Jackson treatment plant and is working to expedite the delivery of any equipment needed for repairs. The city also announced Wednesday that it will distribute bottled water to residents and provide non-potable water to be used for toilet flushing, laundry and cleaning. Jackson’s water crisis comes after years of neglect: ‘We were going it alone’ But while Jackson’s water struggles take center stage this week, his situation is not unique. In recent weeks, nearly half a dozen 1,000-year rainfall events have ravaged places like Eastern Kentucky, St. Louis and Dallas. The American Society of Civil Engineers has expressed serious concerns about the nation’s drinking water infrastructure, giving it a C-minus in its latest report card. “The system is aging and underfunded,” the group wrote in its assessment, noting that there is a water outage every two minutes and an estimated 6 billion gallons of treated water are lost each day in the United States — enough to cover more than 9,000 swimming pools. swimming pools. US stormwater infrastructure scored even lower, with engineers warning that few systems could afford the high cost of retrofits to deal with flooding linked to climate change. “The need for transformative change in how we adapt to this challenge has never been more urgent,” said Melissa Roberts, executive director of the American Flood Coalition, in an email. “We’re now seeing amounts of rainfall that previously would have taken several days in a matter of hours,” Roberts said. “As a result, many of our current stormwater systems are being overwhelmed.” How does the weather this summer compare to when you were a kid? It is not only floods that can endanger water infrastructure. When the deadliest wildfire in California history hit the city of Paradise in 2018, the local drinking water was contaminated with cancer-causing benzene and other dangerous substances. Rainfall following the fire dumped ash and burning debris into local lakes and streams, contaminating the community’s water sources. Even household filters weren’t enough to remove the pollution, the county health department warned. On the other side of the country, in Lowndes County, Ala., activists say climate change has worsened longstanding drainage problems, preventing soil from absorbing sewage from septic tanks and causing raw waste to flow into people’s yards and homes. The Justice Department last year launched an investigation into whether the county discriminated against its mostly black residents by denying access to adequate sanitation facilities. Mukesh Kumar, a former Jackson State professor and director of planning for Jackson, said cities across the country have to deal not only with aging infrastructure, but infrastructure that was built to withstand the challenges of a bygone era. “Now we’re suddenly expecting all this infrastructure to operate under more stressful conditions,” said Kumar, now director of the Waco Metropolitan Planning Organization in Texas. “The scariest part for me is how much we don’t know,” he added. “Even as we make progress in understanding climate change and its impacts, we still cannot identify the vulnerabilities in every system.” At the same time, Kumar said more and more communities are working to make water and sanitation systems more resilient in a way that wasn’t the case in the past. And new spending from Congress will bolster those efforts. “This is a uniquely wonderful resource” and one that comes at a critical time, he said. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Act passed last year provided the EPA with more than $50 billion to upgrade stormwater and sewer systems, protect waterways from climate-related threats, replace damaged or dangerous service lines and other water infrastructure improvements; In a letter instructing governors to focus their efforts on disadvantaged areas, EPA Administrator Michael Regan singled out Jackson as a city in need of support. This year’s Inflation Reduction Act provided a further boost to water systems, including funds to improve water access to vulnerable communities, prevent stormwater runoff and mitigate drought. But Whelton, the environmental engineer, said governments are still not investing enough in the human aspects of disaster management, such as training for utility managers and technical assistance for systems in turmoil. “Most people like to fix pipes and take pictures,” he said. “But when it comes time to make decisions about an ongoing disaster, the resources aren’t always there.” For now, Jackson’s acute crisis remains, with no end in sight. “This is our reality,” said De’keither Stamps, who represents Jackson in the state legislature. “We have been in a continuous state of emergency for a long time. Stamps said there is “plenty of blame to go around” for how the city got into such dire straits. But blame and dysfunction won’t address the current problems — and those likely to lie ahead, he said. “Leadership at every level should work more collaboratively, from local to state to federal,” Stamps said. “We cannot allow tragedy to happen and move on from it without serious investment to address it.” Sign up for the latest news on climate change, energy and the environment, delivered every Thursday
