Environment & land

Mississippi's health department didn't force Jackson to fix its failing water system, and still hasn't fixed its own enforcement program

Confidence: Confirmed · 4 sourcesMississippi · Oct 6, 2026

Subject of this story

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Mississippi State Department of Health

Also named

Oversight

EPA Office of Inspector General

What happened

An August 2024 EPA Inspector General evaluation (Report 24-E-0055) found the Mississippi State Department of Health did not consistently enforce the Safe Drinking Water Act for Jackson's water system, had no implementation procedures for its compliance and enforcement program, and took no formal enforcement action to compel Jackson to comply. MSDH learned of lead exceedances in July 2015 but did not tell the city until January 2016, and its sanitary surveys found one significant deficiency in November 2019 and 18 just 75 days later. In a February 2025 memo the OIG recorded that MSDH 'has not identified sufficient corrective actions' for any of EPA's six enforcement recommendations; EPA gave the state until December 31, 2026 to deliver timelines, and the OIG's spring 2026 report to Congress still lists its related recommendations to EPA as unimplemented, with completion now planned for December 31, 2026.

Sources (4)

U.S. EPA Office of Inspector GeneralMSDH did not consistently enforce the Safe Drinking Water Act or provide adequate oversight... The MSDH does not have implementation procedures for its compliance and enforcement program.

U.S. EPA Office of Inspector General (corrective action memo, Feb. 18, 2025)Region 4 determined that the Mississippi State Department of Health has not identified sufficient corrective actions to address any of the six recommendations for improvement identified in the Enforcement Review report.

U.S. EPA Office of Inspector General, Semiannual Report to Congress Oct 2025-Mar 2026Report No. 24-E-0055 ... Rec. 1: Unresolved ... Rec. 4: Unresolved ... Rec. 6: Unresolved; revised planned completion 12/31/26.

WLBTMSDH Director of External Affairs and Media Relations Greg Flynn wouldn't comment on the report, saying state officials were still reviewing the document.

Response

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

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Mississippi State Department of Health

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What happened next (0)

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