Why Is Jackson’s Water System Failing?

The Jackson, Miss., water system has been “under the microscope” in more ways than one in recent months. Today it is the ongoing water system failure that was exacerbated by the recent flooding — but flooding is not the real reason for the failure. A boil water order was in place before the flooding.

The city of Jackson is just another poster child for a nation and a state/city that has not kept up with investing in its infrastructure — including water systems.

We are at the point that I call “Fix on failure!” The situation has become so bad and now there is a disaster declaration that “perhaps” the system will get the long-term repairs it needs to restore the water supply.

I’m sure there will be some form of short-term fix put in place, but we are talking perhaps a billion-dollar problem with the system itself.

The Jackson region has a population of roughly 431,000, so it is not some Podunk rural area. One of the major issues with Jackson is the state in which it resides. Here’s a listing from 2017 of the “Best- and worst-run states in America.” I’ll let you take a guess where Mississippi is on that list? No. 5? Wrong! How about No. 48, right up there with New Mexico, Louisiana and Alabama, another two Southern basket case states that continually rank on the bottom for a whole list of ratings.

Hey, Alabama has had a terrific football team for a number of years! A source of real pride. If you want low taxes and poor services (but maybe good football teams) these states, which include Mississippi, make great options on where to live. Just bring your own water.