Thursday, October 21, 2021

Lawsuit: Jackson = Flint

 Is Jackson another Flint, Michigan?  A group of 600 children accused Jackson, the Health Department, and several mayors of covering up lead problems in Jackson's water in a lawsuit filed in US District Court Tuesday. The complaint is posted below.

Jackson used wells to provide water to residents of much of South

Jackson until 2014. The complaint claims interim Director of Public Works, Willie Bell, warned Mayor Chokwe Lumumba, Sr. (Sr.?) That the pH of the water was highly acidic and would cause the pipes to leach lead into the drinking water. Jackson took no action to correct the problem.

Jackson ceased using the wells and began providing Pearl River water through a pumping station in South Jackson. The plaintiffs argue switching water sources catalyzed the leaching of lead into Jackson's water. The complaint said the use of the compensation shortened the fuse on a "ticking time bomb." No studies were conducted to determine how corrosive the new source of water would be to Jackson's pipes.

The Health Department discovered elevated lead levels in June 2015. Jackson switched back to the wells and turned off the pumping station in August 2015.

The complaint alleges Jackson took no action to fix the problem. Mayor Yarber hired Trilogy Engineering Services to conduct the water study in 2016. The City Council approved the $400,000 no-bid  contract. The owner of Trilogy is not an engineer but did hold an unreported fundraiser for the mayor in 2014.  

The complaint states:

26.     Indeed, despite being aware that utilization of a liquid lime treatment for  corrosion control  could  provide  a  workable  solution  to  the  corrosion  issue, Trilogy instead recommended using soda ash as a treatment, ignoring Mississippi's (and in particular Jackson's) humid environment.

27.     Trilogy's egregious and nonsensical recommendation was followed by the Jackson.

28.     Ultimately,  because  of  the  humidity  levels  in  Jackson,  the  soda  ash clumped  into  rocks  and  clogged  the  system,  rendering  the  efforts  to  address corrosion control ineffective.

29.     At   the   same   time,   then-Public   Works   Director   Kishia   Powell ("Powell") repeatedly told the media and Jackson's citizenry that the water was safe to drink.

The problem continued until the EPA issued an emergency administrative order in March 2020 after "learning that Jackson still had not taken even the most basic actions to ensure drinking water quality" met acceptable levels.

 


The complaint claims the plaintiff suffers from "cognitive deficits" caused by lead poisoning. However, the complaint doesn't stop with blaming Jackson but also accuses the Mississippi State Department of Health of failing to warn Jackson citizens of "elevated lead levels" in Jackson's drinking water until February 2016 even though the samples were taken in the summer of 2015, thus exposing more children to lead.

Former Public Works Director Kisha Powell did not escape the complaint's notice. It states:

214.   Powell also falsely claimed that "We are nowhere near the levels seen in Flint."⁴¹ This statement was false; if anything, there were a larger proportion of homes that had shown elevated lead levels above 15 ppb. Powell made the statement to assuage any concerns by Jackson's citizens and water users and persuade them that the water was safe to drink.

 Mayor Yarber said "I don't want to sound the wrong alarm and have folks saying 'We're Flint.' We're not."

Attorneys Corey Stern and Rogen Chhabra represent the plaintiff. The case is assigned to US District Judge Carlton Reeves.




34 comments:

Anonymous said...

Taxes are going to go up 1000% after Jackson loses the Lawsuit.
Get out of Jackson while you can.

Anonymous said...

Well this should certainly provide some entertainment for a while.

Anonymous said...

6:06 that’s actually not possible. But if you have any binds issued by Jackson, well that’s what you need to get out of ASAP.

Anonymous said...

Lots of water systems in MS use soda ash to adjust pH. It is probably the most common method used for corrosion control. But that doesn't mean that the City of Jackson is capable of using the equipment properly.

Anonymous said...

I'll admit that I'm usually at the head of the line when it comes to dumping on Jackson and its leaders, but this is a real stretch. I never thought I would side with Jackson versus any detractor.

Anonymous said...

Bonds

Errybody Happie said...

Another (doomed to fail) lawsuit where the lawyers would reap $300,000 and each plaintiff would receive $469.45.

Anonymous said...

https://www.wateronline.com/doc/water-employee-fired-press-about-lead-problems-0001

Remember when this guy tried to warn us. City was more worried about the “perception” vs the reality. Wonder what ole Keisha Powell is doing these days. What a circus this city is!

Anonymous said...

@6:34pm I'm sure you meant bonds....

Anonymous said...

When are the water meter conmen ever going to be charged? Lamar Adams goes to jail for his Ponzi scheme but the water
meter ‘boys go free for their Ponzi? Hmm…the city of Flowood must have more power than the US attorney. Lamar’s family can at least now know that Lamar didn’t produce the largest Ponzi scheme in MS…it’s on Siemens, Soc the garbage man, the MSU o-line bulldog and the Flowood son redneck.

Anonymous said...

One giant leap towards receivership.

Anonymous said...

The hits just keep on rolling on.

Chowke at the Helm, what could go wrong? said...

I hope that the city "leaders" get the lead out and fix these problems.

Anonymous said...

7:03: If the lawsuit fails, nobody get paid except the defense attorneys.

Anonymous said...

Why do all these out of state plaintiff's attorneys get the biggest and best cases? Thinking of Siemens $90 mil.

Anonymous said...

From "The Bold New City" to "The City with Soul" to finally
"Looks Like Detroit, Tastes Like Flint".

Anonymous said...

@10:00 - that’s funny - Chane will have it on a tee and stickers at swell-o-phonic next week.

Anonymous said...

@9:39pm

"Why do all these out of state plaintiff's attorneys get the biggest and best cases? Thinking of Siemens $90 mil."

Because all the in-state legal baboons are compromised by knowing each other, and the judges, etc. and they don't want to have to go against their own "kin". Mississippi is a closed system - a few other states are as well....so out of state attorneys don't give two shits about the in-state, in-bred legal system - and laugh at their stupidity, including the judges. So Mississippi lawyers and judges just want them to go away after a certain amount of effort (and compensation) then settle.

Democrats R Us said...

Kishia L. Powell
Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President
DC Water
District of Columbia

Anonymous said...

10PM for the Win!

Anonymous said...

Yeah buddy. These leaders have only just begun to see lawsuits. Go woke...go broke !!!!

Anonymous said...

Cognitives are a terrible thing to waste-

Anonymous said...

@823 what happened to the Atlanta gig? She ended up in the swamp with the rest of the degenerates. Does anyone have link to lawsuit? Would like to see who is named within State water oversight.

Anonymous said...

8:23 thanks for the post.

"Throughout her career she has maintained a strong sense of ethics and has distinguished herself as a leader, blending global reach, local knowledge, strategic thinking, and technical excellence to deliver sound solutions."

https://www.dcwater.com/person/kishia-l-powell

Time permitting, one should not miss the full bio and write up on DC Water.

Just one tidbit:

"Prior to joining the City of Atlanta, COO Powell served as the Public Works Director for the City of Jackson, Mississippi where she was responsible for developing a programmatic strategy and master plan for Jackson’s Municipal Special Sales Tax-funded infrastructure improvements program including the “Greening the Gateways” initiative which led to the City’s award of a $16.5 million TIGER Grant in October 2015"

Which let to the City's award. . . ? Did the City give the award or receive it?

What a mess (and that functions on several levels).


Anonymous said...

The highly overpaid and overrated Kishia Powell ran to Atlanta first, bringing along a couple of her gal pals from the COJ with her. Now she's back in the DMV where she came from. I'm sure she sees Jackson as a minor misstep in her rearview mirror, but her name and terrible run as Jackson's PW Director will continue to turn up like a bad penny for a few more years it seems.

Anonymous said...

But, but, but, Liberals care about the poor?

Oh, we aren't going to provide safe drinking water to infants and kids in a city where the majority cannot afford bottled water.

Oh, we can't do anything about that family barely scrapping by that now has to spend $75 more on gas a month and $50 more on groceries.

Oh, we don't want poor kids to take their education dollars to better school districts where they can actually get a decent education if they want it.

Ask why?

Anonymous said...

Maybe this will get Jackson to rock bottom. Then Jackson can rid itself of The leadership it has had to endure for far too long.

Anonymous said...

https://amp.clarionledger.com/amp/5219687002
Wait…Labamba said all is great

Anonymous said...

The writing was on the wall when Hillary's pantsuit was on fire to get down here during the election season when false media reports indicated that water in a vacant house had lead excesses. It merely met the bottom line for screening, since it had been sitting, possibly for years. Then, they run the water and it clears, like every other house. To standard. But, but, it "sounds" like it was excess since they tested it!!!!!! To an ignoramus who doesn't even know they test water.

But the illiterate and scientifically ignorant Hinds County jury will find a "preponderance" of non existent evidence to award huge sums to the ambulance chasers and the "poor, poor childrens" who will also get crazy money, SSI, and lifelong reparations under the race baiting "social justice" brigade.

Yet Judge Wingate grew up drinking the same water and somehow made it to and through YLS. SMH. Cash grab by the leading donor group of Dems.

OMG. The children!!!!

Anonymous said...

I really hoped we'd hit rock bottom with Mayors Chockweed I and Macaroni Tony but along came Chokweed II and here we are now scraping further down below subgrade.

Anonymous said...

These children do not drink water.

Anonymous said...

Ashes to ashes they all fall down

It's for the Children said...

The two racing baiting "reverends" (Al and Jesse) will be arriving in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

Anonymous said...

Waiting for the conspiracy theorist to tell me how Siemens perpetrated a Ponzi scheme against the fine folks of Jackson.

Did I miss the part where that corporation excused liability for services received? Please catch-me-up.


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If you get tired come relax at the Fox News Tent. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both will entitle you to free drinks.Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required, just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '07 is for EVERYONE!!!

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