One woman in Jackson, Mississippi told CNN that she received a water bill for $4,000 in the wake of the recent water crisis that left the city without clean drinking water for over a month .
Virginia Evans told the network that she received a bill for $4,000 on September 9 despite having water issues for the past six months, and the recent water crisis that forced her and other residents of Jackson to avoid using tap water.
“It’s not fair for anyone, any resident in the city of Jackson,” Evans said. “I don’t know what they need to do but they need to do something because no one should be paying this amount when you’re not even able to use the water.”
Another resident, Annie Brown, a disabled woman who says her water is still brown on some days, received a $700 water bill in September and can’t afford to pay it.
Evans said she was directed to an agency that provides assistance to needy residents after she contacted the city. Brown is applying for bill assistance from a local group.
“My story is that you’re trying to pay for somebody else’s mistake,” Brown said. “I don’t know what’s going on in this city.”
Residents of Jackson were left without strong water pressure to flush toilets or clean water to drink for seven weeks. It started at the end of July after severe flooding crippled the city’s primary water treatment center. Resident were under a boil water order until September.
New meter, new problems
Spokesperson for the city, Melissa Payne told CNN that Jackson began installing new water meters in 2021 and that the new meters were “reading accurately based on our assessment to date.”
However, “there are some remaining software-related issues that are creating issues for some residents with new meters,” Payne said. “These issues have been identified and work is underway to address the issues.”
Ashby Foote, the president of the Jackson City Council is encouraging residents to contact the city’s water billing department if they believe their bills are wrong or if they need payment plans.
