Mississippi governor defends Metro Jackson Water Authority, pauses appointments
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said he placed the City of Jackson’s water system under state control in August 2022 to avert a “catastrophic” collapse that would have left more than 131,000 residents and numerous businesses without running water.
Reeves said in a Facebook post that he cut short official travel on Aug. 29, 2022, to declare a state of emergency. He said the state then committed manpower, oversight and millions of dollars over three months to stabilize the system and return water service to the city.
The governor said the water system was later placed in a federal receivership by agreement of the U.S. Department of Justice, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Mississippi Department of Health and the city. The U.S. District Court appointed JXN Water as receiver and interim third-party manager to operate the system; Reeves said JXN Water expects to seek court approval to withdraw as receiver in 2027.
To provide a potential successor to JXN Water, the Mississippi Legislature passed and Reeves signed House Bill 1677 creating the Metro Jackson Water Authority, a public benefit corporation governed by a nine-member board. Reeves said the law does not force the city to transfer ownership but empowers the authority to negotiate a lease and bars the authority from taking control until the receivership ends or the court orders otherwise.
Reeves said he will withhold three board appointments because a federal court has entered a status quo injunction. He criticized a recent city court filing as procedurally improper and said governance cannot revert to its pre-Aug. 29, 2022 structure. This is a developing story and will be updated as more details emerge.
