Saturday, October 1, 2022

A Tale of Two Posts

 Governor Tate Reeves briefed the media on Jackson's water crisis on Labor Day.  Compare the Mississippi Today report to the Governor's remarks.  Notice anything? 

Mississippi Today

Exactly one week since tens of thousands lost running water in Mississippi’s capital city, officials on Monday announced they believe every Jackson resident has water once again.

“We have returned water pressure to the city,” Gov. Tate Reeves said in a press conference on Monday. “The tanks are full or filling. There are currently zero water tanks at low levels.”

City officials echoed that update in a citywide notice on Monday: “All of Jackson should now have pressure and most are now experiencing normal pressure.”

A state-issued boil water notice remains in effect, however, meaning that the water, while flowing, should still not be consumed.

“Health officials tell me that the pump is pumping cleaner water than we’ve seen in a long, long time,” Reeves said, adding that there is still much testing to come before it can be deemed safe to drink.

One week ago, state officials took over operations at the city’s largest water distribution plant, which had failed after years of neglect and the Pearl River flooded in late August. When the plant failed, Jackson’s 160,000-plus residents experienced little or no water pressure, spurring a federal emergency declaration and major relief efforts.

While Monday’s news of normal system operation may bring some relief to Jacksonians, officials continue to warn that additional water system problems could occur at any time. Many of the aged water main lines in the city cannot withstand high pressure, and some pipes that are integral to the system are more than 100 years old.

Reeves said officials from the state will remain in place “for some time.”

“We know there could be more challenges … There may be more bad days in the future,” Reeves said. “This system broke over several years, and it would be inaccurate to claim it was solved in less than a week.”

Reeves continued: “We have, however, reached a place that people in Jackson can trust water will come out of the faucet, toilets will be flushed, and fires will be fought.”

As officials continue to work toward keeping the water system on line, state leaders are discussing long-term options to ensure the system will be repaired or replaced. Those deliberations almost certainly would require state legislative action.

Reeves on Monday said he did not anticipate calling a special legislative session in the foreseeable future, but he said he was willing to hear and consider plans.

Governor Reeves September 5 Statement

One week ago today, I told you that the state was going to take historic and unprecedented steps to intervene in Jackson’s water system because it had reached a crisis level. Not only were there issues with the quality of the water, there were issues with the quantity of the water. The city could not produce enough running water for Jacksonians.
Today, I am very happy to report that we have returned water pressure to the city. The tanks are full or filling. There are currently zero water tanks at low levels.
Chastain is the pump closest to the OB Curtis plant, often called a bell weather for the system. The health department told me this morning that it is full for the first time in months.
We are resuming investigative testing. After the bad water has been flushed through the system we should hopefully find that Jacksonians have access to clean water. Health officials tell me this morning that the plant is pumping out cleaner water than we’ve seen for a very long time. We will keep you updated on that.
And the teams that we’ve acquired for the city will continue to work diligently to make repairs, do maintenance, and all of the other things that have been necessary for years. I am proud of the work that they have done. For those who worry that their absence would mean a return to severely low water pressure—I want you to know that they will be active for some time to come.
We know that it is always possible that there will be more severe challenges. This system broke over several years, and it would be inaccurate to claim it is totally solved over a week.
We know how to respond, and we can do so effectively. We have the personnel in place today to prevent as many issues as possible, while understanding that a week of repairs does not eliminate every risk. There may be more bad days in the future.
We have, however, reached a place where people in Jackson can trust that water will come out of the faucet, toilets can be flushed, fires can be fought.
In anticipation of a return to school for students tomorrow, we are pulling back water distribution from school locations and we are moving those resources to our other water distribution mega-sites. Those sites have slowed down in demand a bit, but we have still put out about five million bottles of water over the last several days.
As we turn towards long-term solutions in the near future, I want to clarify a few things that have become even more clear over the last few days. There are problems in Jackson that are decades-old, on the order of a billion dollars to fix. The crisis we intervened to solve is not one of those problems.
OB Curtis was built about 30 years ago. It cost around $20 million to build it from scratch. If I remember correctly, the membrane side of the plant was built around 2007. The water system actually operated at a profit until the wheels fell off only ten years ago. Jackson government is taking in more revenue overall these days than ever before.
So what happened? How did we get here?

Basic work to maintain those facilities was not done because the few heroic staff in that plant had been abandoned. This crisis cost effort and tens of thousands of dollars at a time to prevent, not billions of dollars.
Whatever investment comes next, basic competency to run a water system has to come with it. We cannot continue on the way that we’ve been going.
The state has invested and will continue to invest a tremendous amount of resources to quickly fix what has been broken over the past few years. We’ve administered about $150 million in state and federal funds to the city over the last several years. We’ll spend tens of millions more on this mission. I vetoed state funding for golf courses and parking lots in Jackson this year because I knew that we would need to provide big investments like this at some point soon.
Unfortunately, we’ve never received a real plan from Jackson on how to improve their water system so that the state could consider funding it. I know Congressman Thompson said the federal government is in a similar situation.
I hope that this week demonstrates the clear need for one. The solutions to this problem are not radical, they’re common-sense.
Prioritize basic services: water, sewer, trash… Hire the necessary people. Let them do their jobs. Don’t make excuses, just go forth and deliver water.
I am very grateful for the team engaged in this mission over the last week, because they have done exactly that.
We have more work to do to prevent future crises, but I am very proud of the front-line teams that have not slept throughout their efforts to return water to Jackson.
Today, the tanks are full, water pressure is solid, and we can thank the people who have done quiet, competent work at that plant for making that possible.


19 comments:

Drip-Drop said...

Well...I notice a lot of quotes if that's what you're talking about, Kingfish. And another thing I notice is, unlike so many of your columns and lead-in posts, it's easy to see who said what by the placement of quotation marks and the placement of comments to use the flow of the conversation - As opposed to scratching my head and trying to figure out what goes where and who said what and who shot John.

I'm sure you inferred otherwise while comparing the two, but I see nothing to get excited over.

Anonymous said...

Maybe when the Mayor gets back from whatever paid for trip he is currently on, he can add his 2 cents worth. I guess it is good he is gone, because apparently improvements get done more quickly without him.

Anonymous said...

NE Jackson resident here… I can tell you I’m not a big fan of Tate by any means but LuDUMBa better be glad he stepped in otherwise we would still have no water
NAACP is bitchin but they didn’t nor would they know what to do other than demonize the whites in the city that are the huge portion of city tax base
You can’t fix stupid

Anonymous said...

Everything Reeves said that follows "So what happened? How did we get here?" seems to be omitted from the first post.

Keep telling the full story KF. It will probably have to come from a federal judge before it cam overcome all the BS that been put out there. But you do important work. Keep the faith.

Anonymous said...

Most likely, the MT writer had 14 inches written and their editor told them to cut it to 9 inches. Happens all the time in the news business.

Kingfish said...

The writer was the editor and the publication is online only. No space requirements.

11:23 is on the right track. MT includes every accusation the Mayor makes against the state but when the Governor responds in kind, well, MT can't be bothered to include his remarks .

Krusatyr said...

Gov Reeves mentioned incompetency on the part of Jackson as responsible, whereas MS Today merely blamed "neglect" and "Pearl River Flooded" without assigning responsibility to Jackson itself.

For many years I have never drunk Choke-water, bet Reeves doesn't. Bet Lil Choke never does and when he says he drinks it out of the tap, it's a lie of omission: his drinking water comes out of a gravity tap from 5 gallon well water dispenser bottle delivered to his house by truck.

Anonymous said...

The National Enquirer is more credible than the DNC funded MS Today and everyone knows it.

Anonymous said...

For the LOVE OF GOD, will y'all stop the male pi**ing contest and stick to reporting on the quality of water.
As far as I'm concerned the only admirable humans are the FEMA,MEMA and EPA folks.
You guys can pretend all you like that our water system and flooding problems can't be laid at the feet of decades of political gamesmanship or that ONLY dark skinned Mayors of Jackson have rewarded "buddies" with contract work.
And you can ignore the efforts more than a few professional associations have made to try to change contract laws in MS in your "investigations" as well.
Even some Mississippi companies avoid contract bidding in MS.

Anonymous said...

From what I can see on MT’s website there are a bunch of lefties that are reporting. Enough said

Anonymous said...

Mississippi Today stopped allowing comments on their articles in 2020 when people kept pointing out stuff like this. They couldn't deal with any debate.

Kingfish said...

The color of the Mayor's skin has nothing to do with. Dale did what he could. He was the one who started the ball rolling on the construction of the O.B. Curtis plant. It took ten years to build the membrane side from start to finish. Why don't you ask why? Because Ditto, Melton, and Johnson, oh yes, the Council too, took their sweet time on it. It's quite fun reading.

The mismanagement and neglect of the water treatment plants didn't happen under Danks or Ditto. Period.

Anonymous said...

@12:46pm
Democrat Mayors destroyed Jackson water system AND the current bidding laws suck. Engineers should thoroughly describe the Work by drawings and specs, advertise for bids, then lowest bid, for work as described, wins. Engineers inspect for progress payments. No RFPs.

Burke said...

MT left out Reeves' listing of the money that the state has committed.

No mention of the gap between the Mayor's "It's going to take billions" and the low cost of fixing the Curtis problem.

And where is any mention of the Mayor's abject failure to have developed the "Plan" that even Bennie counts as a failure on the city administration's part.

The essence of what we've witnessed is the uncloaking of a city that is about as poorly run, top to bottom, as any city in the country. The Mayor has been drowning since day one. We still need a receivership.

Anonymous said...

Warning possible psychotic liberal at 12:46PM. Be prepared for all manner of ridiculous assertions, wild speculations, illogical conclusions, unhinged rants, and raves.

It should also be pointed out the meaningless questions that lead to straw man arguments with baseless accusations of racism with many, many, whataboutisms.

We now return you to your regular scheduled blog.

Anonymous said...

12:46, We can either perform a thorough autopsy on this debacle, or we fix the water system without addressing the root causes.

When those at fault go to great lengths to misdirect blame, then it becomes even more important to fully investigate and expose the truth, because it indicates that the same cycle is about to be repeated.

AH LEE YAH said...

we gonna reload them ink pens and come WRITE back

Anonymous said...


Jackson is like a Down Hill Roller Coaster, Mayor Johnson (the Great Planner) could never make a meeting on time, never actually offered Leadership ideas to solve problems-just wanted to Study everything. The current Mayor is so self serving he doesn't even believe his own BS. His only thoughts are to blame everyone else-couldn't be his fault while not supporting his (their) employees, contributing to every Social Program ever thought of while watching & letting Jackson die slow, slow death.. It's time Luwamba moves on to some other worthy Project & let Mr. Stokes take charge-

Anonymous said...

"Prioritize basic services" should be chiseled in stone above the entrance to every city council boardroom, board of supervisors meeting place and legislative floor in this state. The AVERGAGE age of a bridge in this country is 46 years old. There's unsafe drinking water in cities throughout this country. Our public schools aren't keeping us in the lead, globally. Over 10% of the country does not have enough to eat and there are indications this number has doubled since COVID.

Find me a purple-haired transvestite engineer who's qualified to run the water treatment plant and watch how fast I'd appoint they/them to the position. We have to stop being distracted by irrelevant b.s. while our elected officials are making poor decisions that are LITERALLY KILLING US.


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Trollfest '07 was such a success that Jackson Jambalaya will once again host Trollfest '09. Catch this great event which will leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Othor Cain and his band, The Black Power Structure headline the night while Sonjay Poontang returns for an encore performance. Former Frank Melton bodyguard Marcus Wright makes his premier appearance at Trollfest singing "I'm a Sweet Transvestite" from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." Kamikaze will sing his new hit, “How I sold out to da Man.” Robbie Bell again performs: “Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be Bells” and “Any friend of Ed Peters is a friend of mine”. After the show, Ms. Bell will autograph copies of her mug shot photos. In a salute to “Dancing with the Stars”, Ms. Bell and Hinds County District Attorney Robert Smith will dance the Wango Tango.

Wrestling returns, except this time it will be a Battle Royal with Othor Cain, Ben Allen, Kim Wade, Haley Fisackerly, Alan Lange, and “Big Cat” Donna Ladd all in the ring at the same time. The Battle Royal will be in a steel cage, no time limit, no referee, and the losers must leave town. Marshand Crisler will be the honorary referee (as it gives him a title without actually having to do anything).


Meet KIM Waaaaaade at the Entergy Tent. For five pesos, Kim will sell you a chance to win a deed to a crack house on Ridgeway Street stuffed in the Howard Industries pinata. Don't worry if the pinata is beaten to shreds, as Mr. Wade has Jose, Emmanuel, and Carlos, all illegal immigrants, available as replacements for the it. Upon leaving the Entergy tent, fig leaves will be available in case Entergy literally takes everything you have as part of its Trollfest ticket price adjustment charge.

Donna Ladd of The Jackson Free Press will give several classes on learning how to write. Smearing, writing without factchecking, and reporting only one side of a story will be covered. A donation to pay their taxes will be accepted and she will be signing copies of their former federal tax liens. Ms. Ladd will give a dramatic reading of her two award-winning essays (They received The Jackson Free Press "Best Of" awards.) "Why everything is always about me" and "Why I cover murders better than anyone else in Jackson".

In the spirit of helping those who are less fortunate, Trollfest '09 adopts a cause for which a portion of the proceeds and donations will be donated: Keeping Frank Melton in his home. The “Keep Frank Melton From Being Homeless” booth will sell chances for five dollars to pin the tail on the jackass. John Reeves has graciously volunteered to be the jackass for this honorable excursion into saving Frank's ass. What's an ass between two friends after all? If Mr. Reeves is unable to um, perform, Speaker Billy McCoy has also volunteered as when the word “jackass” was mentioned he immediately ran as fast as he could to sign up.


In order to help clean up the legal profession, Adam Kilgore of the Mississippi Bar will be giving away free, round-trip plane tickets to the North Pole where they keep their bar complaint forms (which are NOT available online). If you don't want to go to the North Pole, you can enjoy Brant Brantley's (of the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance) free guided tours of the quicksand field over by High Street where all complaints against judges disappear. If for some reason you are unable to control yourself, never fear; Judge Houston Patton will operate his jail where no lawyers are needed or allowed as you just sit there for minutes... hours.... months...years until he decides he is tired of you sitting in his jail. Do not think Judge Patton is a bad judge however as he plans to serve free Mad Dog 20/20 to all inmates.

Trollfest '09 is a pet-friendly event as well. Feel free to bring your dog with you and do not worry if your pet gets hungry, as employees of the Jackson Zoo will be on hand to provide some of their animals as food when it gets to be feeding time for your little loved one.

Relax at the Fox News Tent. Since there are only three blonde reporters in Jackson (being blonde is a requirement for working at Fox News), Megan and Kathryn from WAPT and Wendy from WLBT will be on loan to Fox. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both and a torn-up Obama yard sign will entitle you to free drinks served by Megan, Wendy, and Kathryn. Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required. Just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '09 is for EVERYONE!!!

This is definitely a Beaver production.


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Jackson Jambalaya is the home of Trollfest '07. Catch this great event which promises to leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Sonjay Poontang and his band headline the night with a special steel cage, no time limit "loser must leave town" bout between Alan Lange and "Big Cat"Donna Ladd following afterwards. Kamikaze will perform his new song F*** Bush, he's still a _____. Did I mention there was no referee? Dr. Heddy Matthias and Lori Gregory will face off in the undercard dueling with dangling participles and other um, devices. Robbie Bell will perform Her two latest songs: My Best Friends are in the Media and Mama's, Don't Let Your Babies Grow up to be George Bell. Sid Salter of The Clarion-Ledger will host "Pin the Tail on the Trial Lawyer", sponsored by State Farm.

There will be a hugging booth where in exchange for your young son, Frank Melton will give you a loooong hug. Trollfest will have a dunking booth where Muhammed the terrorist will curse you to Allah as you try to hit a target that will drop him into a vat of pig grease. However, in the true spirit of Separate But Equal, Don Imus and someone from NE Jackson will also sit in the dunking booth for an equal amount of time. Tom Head will give a reading for two hours on why he can't figure out who the hell he is. Cliff Cargill will give lessons with his .80 caliber desert eagle, using Frank Melton photos as targets. Tackleberry will be on hand for an autograph session. KIM Waaaaaade will be passing out free titles and deeds to crackhouses formerly owned by The Wood Street Players.

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!!!

This is definitely a Beaver production.

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