EPA leader listens to water concerns in Mississippi capital

By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS
Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — EPA Administrator Michael Regan says the agency is still working on a plan to bring long-term improvements to the water system in Mississippi’s capital city. Most of Jackson lost running water for several days in late summer after heavy rainfall exacerbated problems at the city’s main water treatment plant. Regan appeared at a meeting Tuesday in Jackson with the EPA assistant administrator for water Radhika Fox and Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba. About 80% of Jackson’s 150,000 residents are Black, and about a quarter of the population lives in poverty. The city faces extensive and costly repairs to the water system.