Three major cities in the United States are experiencing issues with a contaminated water supply, but all for different reasons.
Jackson, Mississippi
150,000 residents in Jackson don’t have safe drinking water due to damage to a water plant pump. NPR reported the water pump was unable to keep up with the historic rainfall in Mississippi, causing a severe drop in water pressure.
A boil water notice remains in effect in Jackson, but completely repairing the water system will cost billions. Residents of the city have gone without clean water for over a month, requiring them to use bottled water for everyday needs, according to The Guardian.
New York City
The Guardian reported dangerous levels of arsenic in one of the largest public housing complexes in Manhattan. Residents in Jacob Riss Houses in Manhattan’s East Village have been without safe drinking water for more than a week.
The impacted housing area consists of 19 buildings, 1,727 households and 3,772 residents, according to The New York Times.
Recent tests found no arsenic in the complex’s water, but tenants are instructed to continue to avoid using the water until additional test results come back, per The Guardian.
Baltimore, Maryland
E. coli was detected in West Baltimore’s water supply, creating a crisis for more than 1,500 people and several area schools, ABC News reports. City officials are encouraging residents to boil water as they continue to sample the water supply.
Officials are working to fix the water, flushing the system, looking for leaks and increasing chlorination levels, per ABC.