Feds preparing plan to help fix Jackson's water system

JACKSON, Miss (AP) — Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan returned to Mississippi’s capital city Monday to meet with Jackson officials about the city’s troubled water system.

In a news release, the office of Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said it plans to work with the U.S Justice Department and the EPA to seek aid for Jackson by citing “violations” under the Safe Drinking Water Act.

At a meeting with Lumumba and U.S. Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim, Regan said the federal government would work with the city to "deliver long overdue relief for Jackson residents.”

“The people of Jackson, Mississippi, have lacked access to safe and reliable water for decades. After years of neglect, Jackson’s water system finally reached a breaking point this summer, leaving tens of thousands of people without any running water for weeks," Regan said. "These conditions are unacceptable in the United States of America.”