Jackson mayor defends record, day after governor said city has no plan to fix water system

As Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba prepared for his weekly news conference Tuesday, comments Gov. Tate Reeves made the day before loomed heavily.

Reeves said Monday the city had presented no plan to the state on what funds are needed to fix its water system, which has become the subject of international news in recent weeks as more than 150,000 residents were left without running or drinkable water.

"We do recognize the need for both an intermediate and long-term plan. I personally believe that we cannot rely on the city of Jackson to provide that," Reeves said Monday.

Lumumba, careful not to jeopardize the "unity" he has sought between city and state government during the crisis, took to the lectern Tuesday afternoon and proceeded to defend his record. The mayor's Director of Communications Melissa Faith Payne stood by his side and produced documents, presentations and letters that the city has presented to state government officials, including Reeves. The mayor held them up, one by one, explaining each to the media.

First, there was the Commission Strategic Capital Improvement Plan, which detailed "an exhaustive list of the city's infrastructure needs at the water treatment facility, wastewater treatment facility, and the like," Lumumba said.

Then, the mayor held up the Critical Equipment Repair Plan, a list of the critical repairs outlined in the city's consent decree with the Environmental Protection Agency.

Next was a Power Point presentation given to the Hinds County delegation in the state legislature, which went along with meetings that occurred between October and December of 2021 as the city sought state funding for some of its biggest infrastructure priorities. It detailed numerous critical repairs and the associated costs. Those costs included $20 million worth of repairs at the O.B. Curtis Water Treatment Plant and nearly $16 million worth at the smaller J. H. Fewell plant.

"It talks about membrane resurfacing, HVAC systems, repairing leaks at conventional filters. It talks about the pumps. It talks about many of the things that you have become familiar with over the last few days that we have acknowledged and have shared that needed to be done, and it also has a projected cost next to it," Lumumba said.

That presentation also included estimated costs for replacing pipes throughout the city, which were separated by precinct but totaled more than $34 million.

Following the presentation, the mayor held up a letter that he sent the governor in March 2021, although it is incorrectly dated as March 3, 2020. The letter was sent following the hard freeze which left many in Jackson without running water. It asked Reeves to help the city secure the funding it needs to make nearly $47 million worth of high-priority repairs. Each of those repairs are itemized on the last of three pages.

City Letter Water Crisis by USA TODAY Network on Scribd

"I am requesting emergency funding from the State and federal government to make the capital improvements necessary for the efficient operation of Jackson's water treatment plants and distribution network," Lumumba wrote in the more-than-a-year-old letter. "These improvements are critical to our efforts to ensure that our residents and businesses are not deprived of clean water again. I have attached a list of needed improvements for our plants and distribution lines with an estimated cost of approximately $47,000,000. Your assistance in obtaining the funding to complete these projects will be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your consideration."

Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, Speaker of the House Philip Gunn, U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson and Senators Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith were all copied on the letter. Lumumba said he never got a response.

Lastly, Lumumba held up a draft report that is still being worked on by a team of water engineers, which will detail a new analysis of the city's biggest immediate infrastructure needs.

"I wanted to present that because there's been a lot of discussion about what we have and have not communicated, but like I said I think what we should leave this discussion with is a resolve to work together. Is a resolve that the people of Jackson are worthy of our collaboration. The people of Jackson don't care about our differences, and it is important that we demonstrate love and do something that quite honestly so many administrations have failed to do over the time, whether you're talking about the city or the state, and that is to fix a problem that has been plaguing our residents for decades," Lumumba said. "I believe we can do it, and I stand ready to work with anybody willing to work with me."

Lumumba said he has not spoken with Reeves since the two were part of a group that toured the Curtis plant Friday.

The two appeared together at a news conference for the first time Thursday, days into the water crisis. They have not done-so since. Payne later said that the mayor had not been invited to speak at that news conference, but when the governor realized Lumumba was there, Reeves allowed him to speak.

Reeves' Press Secretary Shelby Wilcher said the documents Lumumba showed were not sufficient, citing similar comments made by Thompson, who — unlike Reeves but like Lumumba — is a Democrat.

"As Congressman Bennie Thompson has said, the city has not presented any real plan that leads out of the water crisis that the state or federal government could consider funding. We look forward to working to address the long-term challenges with Jackson's water system when the time is right," Wilcher said in a text.

During the Tuesday news conference Lumumba had said that if their plans and presentations have been insufficient, the city would like to know in what ways so that they can address them. For example, he said during the meetings with Hinds County legislators, they asked for more information and the city provided it to them.

"We have endeavored to communicate, right. Now we are willing to accept that if the effort of communication that is asked for is not sufficient in order to meet those legislative requests, then we are malleable, we are able to be instructed of what is most helpful," Lumumba said.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Jackson, Mississippi water: Mayor defends record after Reeves' comment