Jackson residents continue to struggle with water and sewage

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - There is ongoing frustration in the Capital City as locals deal with a third week with a boil water notice and sewage issues.

Residents in West Jackson said they are tired of not being able to use the water that they pay for. One resident said the water they have coming out of their faucets is black and brown.

“I feel very, very, very betrayed,” West Jackson resident, Gilbert Coleman, said.

“It’s just unreal, you know, for us to have to go through this,” Milbertha Jones said.

For several months, Jackson residents have been struggling with water woes and, on top of that, sewage issues.

Residents said juggling the two has become difficult.

“It hurts the whole city, the whole state. Matter of fact, you know, I’m sitting there looking at a major problem, and everybody’s in denial about it,” Coleman said.

Since mid-June, when the first city-wide boil water notice was put into place, many have had to boil their water and depend on water giveaways.

“The water, we really appreciate because, you know, we have to boil water for everything, and the water is really helping because nothing is cheap,” Jones said.

And their frustrations have continued with the most recent notice being issued three weeks ago in Jackson.

Residents also pointed out they’re paying for a service they can’t fully use right now.

“When I pay my bill, invest my money in what the nature of the problem is. You can’t just take the money and invest it in other areas, and you have a problem, a major problem, right here. So, where’s the money that’s supposed to be repairing the system,” Coleman explained.

Residents said they blame Jackson leaders for not acting quickly to resolve the issues, and they pray something is done soon.

“Somewhere, somebody has dropped the ball, and so, the City Council or the mayor or whoever, the governor, needs to get together and get this done,” Jones said.

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