Nearly four years after the Jackson water crisis, the Clarion Ledger tested the city’s water again. This time amid a very different civic backdrop.
A lot has changed since August 2022 when heavy flooding from the Pearl River caused the city’s long-troubled water system to completely collapse, resulting in weeks of residents not being able to drink, cook, or bathe in the city’s water. The crisis turned into a national spectacle, with people and charitable groups donating and trucking in water for those in need.
The most significant shift since then is who runs the system. The City of Jackson no longer controls its own water system. That responsibility now falls to JXN Water, a third-party utility created under a federal court order to stabilize the system. Its leader, interim third-party manager Ted Henifin, oversees a team working to repair infrastructure, replace pipes, and restore reliability—backed by roughly $600 million in federal funding.
More recently, however, the focus has shifted to cost and control. Since 2023, Jackson residents have seen their water rates increase twice, raising concerns about affordability even as service reliability has improved. There have also been issues with JXN Water’s collection rate. In December, an independent city report found that since JXN Water took over billing in October 2023, it has failed to collect from tens of thousands of accounts, leaving more than $74.4 million in unpaid bills through December 2025.
At the same time, control of the system is also shifting. State lawmakers recently approved a bill creating a new nine-member Jackson Water Authority board that could eventually take over from JXN Water, with the power to set rates and oversee the system’s operations. The move would partially return control to local leaders but stops short of giving Jackson a majority on the board. The bill, called The Metro Jackson Water Authority Act, has been sent to Governor Tate Reeves, who will either sign it or veto it.
The Clarion Ledger decided to test the water nearly four years after the water crisis as a follow-up to our original 2022 tests and for accountability. JXN Water, a court-appointed utility, is not subject to public records laws in the same way as the city, though groups are pushing for that to change.
The 2026 water results point to a system that has improved since the 2022 crisis, with no widespread signs of contamination. But they also show a lingering reality: what comes out of the tap can still depend on the pipes inside a home.
How we tested the drinking water in Jackson
As it did in 2022, the Clarion Ledger collected water samples from 16 sites across Jackson, drawing directly from taps at a mix of homes, restaurants, and businesses in North, West, East, and South Jackson.
At the Clarion Ledger’s expense, the samples were tested for three key indicators of drinking water safety: E. coli, total coliform bacteria, and lead—contaminants the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency uses to assess whether water is safe for human consumption.
Reporters collected the samples on Feb. 24, following strict protocols provided by Waypoint Analytical using sterilized containers supplied by the company. The collection process was also recorded on video to document the time, location, and handling of each sample.
All samples were submitted to Waypoint Analytical later that day on Feb. 24. From there, they were sent to the company’s certified laboratory in Memphis, Tennessee, which is approved to conduct drinking water testing for systems in Mississippi.
Because Waypoint Analytical’s Memphis lab was backed up, the Clarion Ledger did not receive the full results until Friday, March 13.
Were the water samples safe to drink?
Across all 16 samples, E. coli was not detected. Total coliform bacteria, however, was initially identified in one sample collected from a home on Smith Robinson Street in West Jackson. No other sample tested positive for total coliform.
In the report, a result of “absent” means no bacteria were detected and meets federal drinking water standards, said Cris Surbeck, a senior associate engineer with GSI Environmental. A “present” result indicates at least one bacterium was found.
Surbeck, who also reviewed the Clarion Ledger’s 2022 testing and previously led the civil engineering department at the University of Mississippi, said the results reflect a system that has improved since the crisis.
Lead was detected in several locations, four out of 16. The rest, 12 out of 16 samples, were below the lab’s detection limit of 0.5 micrograms per liter.
The four sites where measurable levels of lead were identified include restaurant Pig & Pint, 0.751 micrograms per liter; a home on Red Oak Drive, 0.610 micrograms per liter; Forest Hill Animal Clinic, 3.77 micrograms per liter; and a residence on Greenview Drive, 5.36 micrograms per liter. But all of these lead levels were well below the EPA’s action level. Besides Pig & Pint, which is located in Fondren, the rest of the three sites are all located in South Jackson.
The EPA sets an “action level” for lead at 15 parts per billion—or 15 micrograms per liter—the point at which utilities are required to take steps to reduce exposure. One microgram per liter, or µg/L, is equal to one part per billion, or ppb.
So even the residence at Greenview Drive, which showed the most lead out of the samples at 5.36 micrograms per liter—or 5.36 parts per billion—is much below the EPA’s set action level of 15 ppb.
“Bacteria are absent, and the lead levels detected are well below the EPA action level,” Surbeck said. “These results are not greatly concerning to me.”
The laboratory noted that the results reflect the condition of the water at the time the samples were collected, with testing conducted using standard procedures.
How did the testing compare to the 2022 testing?
Compared with the Clarion Ledger’s 2022 testing during the height of the crisis, the latest results show both similarities and key differences.
In September 2022, samples collected across Jackson found no E. coli or total coliform bacteria at any location. Those findings aligned with state testing at the time and supported lifting the city’s boil-water notice after the crisis.
Experts cautioned then that the absence of bacteria did not address broader concerns—particularly lead.
Separate lead testing conducted days later found detectable levels in seven of 17 locations, or about 41% of sites tested. Still, all results in 2022 were below the EPA’s action level of 15 parts per billion, similar to 2026 testing.
The highest reading of lead in 2022 was 5.79 micrograms per liter at Jackson State University. The highest reading of lead in 2026 was 5.36 micrograms per liter.
In the 2026 testing, E. coli again was not detected in any sample. Unlike 2022, however, one sample tested positive for total coliform bacteria. But, a follow-up sample collected later at the same location returned negative.
Taken together, the results suggest the system has become more stable, with no widespread bacterial contamination detected in either round of testing.
Low-level lead at the tap remains present at some locations, likely tied to aging plumbing rather than treated water leaving the system.
Follow-up testing at Smith Robinson Street
Because total coliform bacteria was detected at one location, the Clarion Ledger returned to the home on Smith Robinson Street to conduct a follow-up test.
A second sample was collected on March 23. Results returned on March 25 showed no presence of total coliform bacteria.
Surbeck said the bacteria can be introduced during collection because it is commonly found in many places, including on people’s hands, and that a second sample is needed before drawing conclusions. Often, she said, the follow-up sample comes back absent if something during collection did not go according to protocol.
The Clarion Ledger followed all protocols as directed.
When the Clarion Ledger first shared the Smith Robinson Street result with JXN Water, the utility said it would want immediate follow-up testing before drawing conclusions. JXN Water said that when its own certified testing returns a total coliform present result, its protocol is to resample the site, test upstream and downstream locations, assess chlorine residual and work with property owners to identify possible contributing factors.
The utility said it follows that process because a single unconfirmed result carries limited interpretive weight and because total coliform can be introduced during collection through improper technique or contamination at the fixture.
After the Clarion Ledger told JXN Water that a follow-up sample had been collected and came back negative, the utility said it would expect the original result to be attributable to contamination during sample collection rather than a condition in the distribution system. JXN Water said its testing has not identified any systemwide issues with coliform bacteria.
Additionally, JXN Water said its prepared to retest at the Smith Robinson Street home through its certified monitoring program and asked for the resident’s contact information so it can coordinate access directly.
JXN Water responds
JXN Water said the results do not point to a system-wide concern and are consistent with its own testing and compliance data.
The utility conducts hundreds of water quality samples each month through EPA-certified laboratories and said it reached full compliance with the federal Lead and Copper Rule in 2026—the first time the Jackson system has met that standard in recent history.
The federal Lead and Copper Rule requires water systems to test for lead at taps and take action if levels exceed the EPA’s threshold. As JXN Water officials have previously said, there is little lead in the city’s main system, but exposure can still occur at the tap through older pipes and plumbing inside homes.
JXN Water’s last quarterly report, released in December 2025, also backs this up. The report—required to be submitted to the court each quarter—states that the system is meeting all federal drinking water standards.
JXN Water Spokeswoman Aisha Carson said all lead levels identified in the Clarion Ledger’s testing were well below both the current federal action level of 15 micrograms per liter and the proposed revised level of 10 micrograms per liter. The highest level identified—5.36 micrograms per liter—falls below those thresholds.
The utility also raised questions about how the samples were collected, noting that regulatory drinking water testing relies on strict chain-of-custody procedures and standardized methods. While Waypoint Analytical’s Memphis laboratory is certified to perform drinking water testing for Mississippi systems, JXN Water said independently collected samples are not directly comparable to results from its regulatory testing program.
JXN Water emphasized it was not dismissing the Clarion Ledger’s findings but said certified testing follows stricter protocols—including controlled collection methods—designed to meet federal regulatory standards.
The Mississippi State Department of Health reports back up JXN Water, saying the samples have been within acceptable levels the past few years in Hinds County.
Surbeck said those differences are important but do not make the results meaningless.
“The Clarion Ledger’s samples are more representative of what people might actually be drinking,” she said, noting that regulatory lead tests are typically collected after water has been sitting in pipes for several hours, allowing more time for lead to leach into the water.
Because the Clarion Ledger’s samples were collected throughout the day, Surbeck said they may not capture peak lead levels—but still provide a useful snapshot of real-world conditions.
What to do if you’re concerned about lead in your water
JXN Water recommends the following steps for residents who want to reduce potential exposure to lead:
– Review any lead notifications you’ve received and contact the utility with questions – Run your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using water for drinking or cooking, especially if water has been sitting in pipes – Use a filter certified to remove lead – Check your service line using JXN Water’s online map at jxnwater.com/lead. Older homes are more likely to have materials that can contribute to lead at the tap.
Ongoing legal fight over lead in Jackson’s water
A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit recently allowed a lawsuit to move forward alleging the City of Jackson let lead-contaminated water flow into homes for years while telling residents it was safe to drink.
The case stems from a 2022 class-action lawsuit filed by residents who claim city officials knew about corrosion risks and elevated lead levels but failed to act. The ruling is not final. The case is currently on hold as the city seeks review from the full Fifth Circuit. In December, City Attorney Drew Martin said the Fifth Circuit will likely decide in 2026 whether it will review the case en banc, meaning all active judges would reconsider the panel’s decision.
Charlie Drape, the Jackson beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger, has covered the Jackson water crisis from its collapse in 2022 through the system’s ongoing recovery, including independently testing and other accountability reporting.
