Jackson mayor says water situation "looking up"

Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said yesterday that water pressure has greatly increased, due in part to residents turning off their dripping faucets after the freezing weather subsided. Some residents have been without any tap water at all for days.

Bottled water distribution sites remain open and non-potable water can be obtained at the Mississippi Fairgrounds. The mayor hopes to lift the city-wide boil water notice in the next few days.

"Our goal is try to get pressure stable," he said. "and the precautionary notice lifted by Saturday... that is an ambitious goal... but that is what we're trying to make happen at this time."

Lumumba recognizes that residents are quote "sick of apologies." Danyelle Holmes helps organize the Poor Peoples' Campaign in Jackson. She says people in her community have told her that they were no longer surprised when water system failures took place.

"I had to send my daughter and grandchildren back home early to Texas because we didn't have clean water here," Holmes said. "That was frustrating for me."

Holmes said her organization and other outreach groups will be on the ground delivering water to people and businesses that need it.