Science Jackson’s Water Crisis - A Stark Warning About Extreme Weather, Infrastructure, And Justice Marshall Shepherd Senior Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Following New! Follow this author to stay notified about their latest stories. Got it! Sep 2, 2022, 10:05am EDT | New! Click on the conversation bubble to join the conversation Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin A water tower emblazon with the City of Jackson, Miss. , official seal looms over this north Jackson . . . [+] neighborhood Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022. The recent flood worsened Jackson's longstanding water system problems and the state Health Department has had Mississippi's capital city under a boil-water notice since late July. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved Recently I discussed how water cycle diagrams taught to K-12 students were missing something - human activity. The Jackson, Mississippi water crisis has plagued the city and left residents without water for cleaning, washing, cooking, and other basic human functions. Jackson State University was forced to go virtual. Its football team, coached by Deion Sanders, relocated to prepare for week 1 of the college football season. The problems get much worse than that unfortunately. There are obvious health implications , and Governor Tate Reeves declared a state of emergency. He urged people not to drink the water in Jackson. While infrastructure is at the front and center of the discussion, weather, climate, and environmental justice should not be overlooked in this crisis. In the past few weeks, much of Mississippi has endured above-normal rainfall. In fact, the analysis below shows that some of the region, including Jackson, has received 200 to 300 percent of normal precipitation from June 1st to August 31st. According to Weather. com meteorologists , the area received almost a foot of rainfall the previous week which led to flooding in the area. The extreme precipitation overwhelmed the OB Curtis Water Treatment Plant. Percent of normal rainfall in the Southeast from June to August 2022. Southeast Regional Climate Center, UNC Before water is supplied to us, it must be treated. The excessive of influx of rainwater modified the proper chemical composition. Vox reported issues with water pumps and water pressure in other parts of the system as well. Ironically, prior to the current news, I had been reading a peer-reviewed study in the journal Environmental Science and Technology on the prospect of large-scale urban stormwater capture to augment water supply. The authors cautioned that many barriers remained because of uncertainties about water quality targets and pathogens in storm water. Observed change in heavy precipitation events in the U. S. U. S. National Climate Assessment Report (2018) MORE FOR YOU New Research Finds A Connection Between Domestic Violence And These Two Personality Disorders This Scientist Helps Andean Forests And Ecuador’s Women In STEM Exceptional Fossil Preservation Suggests That Discovering Dinosaur DNA May Not Be Impossible Here’s what is certain. Year 2022 rainstorms are different than rainstorms of last century. Numerous studies confirm that intensity of rainfall is greater in every section of the United States. The 2018 U. S. National Climate Assessment report warned, “A central challenge to water planning and management is learning to plan for plausible future climate conditions that are wider in range than those experienced in the 20th century. ” Frankly, aging infrastructure in cities like Jackson pose a significant threat to water supply delivery irrespective of extreme weather events. The report went on to say, “Operational principles for engineering, design, insurance programs, water quality regulations, and water allocation generally have not factored in these longer-term perspectives on historical climate variability or projections of future climate change. ” The urban water cycle differs from the K-12 version. It includes rain, evaporation, runoff, and other processes. However, it also includes supply infrastructure, piped water systems, and wastewater. The Urban Water Cycle Northeast Water Sewer District and City of Rochester, MN website Another warning in the Jackson crisis centers around environmental justice. Benji Jones wrote in Vox , “Jackson’s water system — which serves a population that is more than 80 percent Black — has been burdened with problems for many years. . . . ” Guess what this means? While everyone is exposed to the challenges of no water, a significant portion of the people burdened by the crisis are communities of color and the most vulnerable within society (elderly, poor, and young kids). We’ve seen this movie before as recently as 2021 during water supply challenges associated with the extreme winter event. The entanglement of environmental justice, disparities in infrastructure investments, and the ongoing era of amplified extreme weather defines the current crisis. My friend and colleague Catherine Coleman Flowers is a pillar of American society and serves on the White House Environmental Justice Advocacy Council. Flowers , Founder and Executive Director of the Center for Rural Enterprise and Environmental Justice (EJ), is fighting against disparities related to sewage infrastructure and other problems. She recently pointed me to Michigan . In 2021, millions of gallons of sewage found its way into waters due to excessive rainwater associated with storms. Her book, “Waste: One Woman’s Fight Against America’s Dirty Secret,” was released in 2020. When she talks about this “dirty secret” in places like Lowndes County Alabama, she is quick to note that climate change and extreme rainfall make the problem worse. In an interview with Sarah Kennedy at the Yale Climate Connections blog, she said, “Climate change is making it worse because there’s more rainfall. . . . If we get a lot of rain you’re going to see more and more failures. ” Much of my research centers around extreme precipitation, which led me to my recent conversations with this EJ legend. As I write this essay, it feels like the corner has been turned in Jackson. Earlier in the week, EPA Administrator Michael Regan tweeted , “As part of the coordinated federal response, I have deployed EPA staff to Jackson, Mississippi to support with the emergency assessment of the water treatment plants. We have also expedited delivery of critical equipment to help repair the OB Curtis Water Treatment Plant. ” When the warning light comes on in our cars, we seek a solution to the problem. Warning lights are flashing everywhere at the intersection of extreme weather, water supply, water quality, and environmental justice. JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI - MARCH 07: Volunteers help to distribute water at a water and food . . . [+] distribution drive held by College Hill Baptist Church and the World Central kitchen on March 07, 2021 in Jackson, Mississippi. Residents in parts of Jackson, Mississippi, where 80% of the residents are Black, have been without running water since mid-February after the city was hit by back-to-back winter storms. The storms damaged the city’s already crumbling infrastructure and left residents without access to running water. A citywide boil notice remains in effect since February 14, when Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves and Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann declared a state of emergency. During a press conference on Friday, Charles Williams, Public Works director in Jackson, stated that only about 5,000 residents do not have water service but thousands are still under a boil water advisory. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) Getty Images Follow me on Twitter . Check out my website . Marshall Shepherd Editorial Standards Print Reprints & Permissions.