As the United States celebrates this week to recognize the vital role that water plays in our lives, residents of Jackson, Mississippi, are still dealing with the aftermath of a deteriorating water system that completely broke down after decades of strain.
exposed critical infrastructure failures. A winter storm in 2021 burst pipes and water mains, leaving people without water for up to three weeks. Flooding in 2022 pushed the system to collapse, again leaving city residents without access to safe, reliable water.
Water flows again, but the conditions that led to the crisis remain. The people of Jackson continue to carry the burden of aging infrastructure, rising costs and decisions about who will control and fund the system.
In Jackson, the city鈥檚 crumbling infrastructure reflects a that have made it harder for the city to generate the revenue needed to maintain its water system. How city, state and federal leaders ultimately contend with that legacy will shape whether residents can ever rely on something as basic as turning on the tap.
It is because of situations like the one in Jackson that the Southern Poverty Law Center has launched its Poverty Is Not A Line campaign to raise awareness and mobilize grassroots efforts to address the systemic economic inequities present in our system, specifically in the Deep South.
Here鈥檚 what everyone should know about the challenges Jackson鈥檚 residents continue to face:
1. The crisis is not over, even though have been made to the water and sewer system.
The Jackson Clarion Ledger that lab tests conducted on water the newspaper鈥檚 staff collected showed no widespread contamination. Water quality, however, depends on what is in pipes inside homes. The system is functioning, but it remains under stress, with aging infrastructure and ongoing operational challenges.
Jackson鈥檚 water system has been under federal receivership structure, which means a court-appointed, third-party manager has overseen the system鈥檚 operations since after the 2022 system collapse. The Mississippi Legislature passed a new law 鈥 in effect since May 1 鈥 that created a regional water authority to oversee the system. The law gives Jackson minority representation on the authority鈥檚 board, but leaves the city without meaningful control of the city鈥檚 water system.
2. Advocates and residents are pushing back against the new law, contending Jackson would bear most of the risk without control of its own infrastructure. The Mississippi Rapid Response Coalition, which includes the Southern Poverty Law Center, has been supporting residents who are resisting the law. The Jackson mayor, with approval of the City Council, directly appoints only three seats on the nine-member board. Residents demand control of the city鈥檚 water and sewer system be returned to the city of Jackson, which will contribute as much as 89% of the revenue the regional board will oversee.
3. Jackson residents continue to face difficult economic consequences due to the crisis.
Jackson residents have endured financial strain, including difficulty paying water bills, in a city where many households already live on limited incomes. Residents are now paying more to keep the system running after a federal court approved a nearly 12% rate increase earlier this year. U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate described the increase as a 鈥渟urvival measure鈥 to sustain operations as funding runs low.
4. The water crisis has led to a housing crisis in Jackson.
Dozens of residents have faced eviction because their water service was shut off when their landlords 鈥 after collecting money from tenants for the bill payments 鈥 could not pay the water bills in full, as third-party manager JXN Water demanded. Residents received a forced relocation notice from Mississippi Home Corporation and 48 hours to vacate their homes. Thousands more renters were threatened with water shutoffs and possible displacement, only avoided because emergency injunctions were filed in federal court.
5. The 人兽性交 is advocating in court to ensure Jackson鈥檚 residents have access to safe, reliable water.
In August 2025, the 人兽性交 filed a federal lawsuit against the state of Mississippi for withholding millions of dollars in emergency aid owed to Jackson. In the lawsuit, 人兽性交 attorneys argue that the state intentionally discriminated against residents in its majority-Black capital city. The litigation is part of the 人兽性交鈥檚 years-long efforts to ensure American Rescue Plan Act funds sent to Mississippi in 2021 are made available to Jackson without the state creating discriminatory roadblocks.
Image at top: In a photo from Sept. 2, 2022, a sign is taped to the door of Mama’s Eats-N-Sweets restaurant, which closed temporarily during the height of the water crisis in Jackson, Mississippi. (Credit: AP Photo/Steve Helber)
