Mississippi impeding funds for Jackson’s water, group says

By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS
Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A federal civil rights group complaint says Mississippi is intentionally creating hurdles that prevent the majority-Black capital city of Jackson from receiving enough money to repair its long-troubled water system. The Southern Poverty Law Center announced Friday that it had filed the civil rights complaint to the federal government. It is asking the Treasury Department to investigate Mississippi’s rules for distributing $450 million to water systems operated by cities, counties and rural water associations. The money came from the federal government. The complaint is the latest of several efforts to bring federal pressure to force improvements for Jackson’s water system, which nearly collapsed last year.