Mississippi's capital trucking in drinking water after wastewater plant floods

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Mississippi's capital city has too much water on the ground, and too little in the tap that's safe to drink. 

Parts of Jackson were without running water on Tuesday after heavy rainfall and flooding brought its ailing wastewater system near to collapse.

The city of 150,000 had already been under a boil-water notice for a month.

Restaurant owner Derek Emerson said water problems "are making it impossible for us to do business".

Mr Emerson and his wife, Jennifer, own the upscale Walker's Drive-In, and have been spending $US300 ($438) a day for ice and bottled water in the past month.

"I love doing business in Jackson, and I like the people of Jackson," Mr Emerson said. "I just — I hate dealing with the problems."

On Monday Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves declared a state of emergency for Jackson's water system, after floodwaters seeped into the O.B. Curtis treatment plant.

Until it is fixed, the city does not have enough water to fight fires or reliably flush toilets, he said. 

Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said Jackson's water system is short staffed and there had been "decades of deferred maintenance".

The city has begun bringing in drinking and non-potable water. 

The state trucked in 10 tractor-trailers of water on Tuesday and was expecting another 108 trucks in the coming days, state emergency management director Stephen McCraney told reporters.

Like many cities, Jackson's water system has problems it can't afford to fix.

Its tax base has eroded the past few decades as the population dropped  — the result of mostly white flight to suburbs that began after public schools integrated in 1970.

The city's population is now more than 80 per cent Black, and about a quarter of its residents live in poverty.

Jackson schools held classes online Tuesday, and some restaurants closed.

Jackson State University brought in temporary rest rooms for students, and Jackson State football coach Deion Sanders said his players went without air conditioning or ice.

In a video one of his sons posted to social media, Sanders — also known as Coach Prime — said he wanted to move players into a hotel so they could shower.

"We're going to find somewhere to practice, find somewhere that can accommodate every darn thing that we need and desire to be who we desire to be, and that's dominate," Sanders said.

"The devil is a lie. He ain't going to get us today, baby."

President Joe Biden has approved an emergency declaration for the state of Mississippi, directing his team to surge federal assistance to the region, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tweeted. 

"We are committed to helping the people of Jackson and the state of Mississippi during this urgent time of need," she said.

Jackson has two water-treatment plants, and the larger one is near a reservoir which provides most of the city's water supply.

The reservoir also has a role in flood control.

The city has longstanding problems with its water system.

Many people were left without running water after pipes froze in a cold snap in 2021.

Similar problems happened again early this year, but on a smaller scale.

On Tuesday, Mr Lumumba said the cost to repair the system could run to "quite possibly the billions of dollars."

Jackson resident Bernard Smith said he filled containers with water Monday night in case his home lost service.

He bought bottled water Tuesday and said he hopes Jackson is on track to solve its water woes.

“Sometimes you’ve to go through the hardship to get back to the good ship," he said.

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