For Immediate Release:
June 30, 2022
State Imposes Boil Water Notice
(Jackson, Miss.) – The state Department of Health has imposed a separate boil water notice on the City of Jackson due to high turbidity levels in its sampling. While the City routinely monitors for turbidity or cloudiness, samples taken earlier this week were above standard levels, which increases the chance the water may contain disease-causing organisms.
Elevated turbidity levels are caused by the use of lime, which is used to adjust the pH of the water. Although lime does not affect the filters or the filtering process, there is an increased chance that the water may contain disease-causing organisms.
What does this mean? What should I do?
- DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST. Bring all water to a boil, let it boil for one minute, and let it cool before using, or use bottled water. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and food preparation until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water.
- · Turbidity has no health effects. However, turbidity can interfere with disinfection and provide a medium for microbial growth. Turbidity may indicate the presence of disease-causing organisms. These organisms include bacteria, viruses, and parasites, which can cause symptoms such as nausea, cramps, diarrhea, and associated headaches.
- · The symptoms above are not caused only by organisms in drinking water. If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, you may want to seek medical advice. People at increased risk should seek advice from their health care providers about drinking the water.
What is being done?
The City continues to monitor the use of lime to ensure consistent levels are maintained. In response to the citywide notice, the City is distributing cases of bottled water to residents in need on a daily basis. We will inform residents as soon as turbidity returns to appropriate levels and will lift the boil water notice.
For more information, please contact the City’s Public Works Director, Marlin King at 601-960-2091. General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.