Distributive Disturbances: Examining Community Exposure to Drinking Water Contaminants Amidst the Jackson, Mississippi (USA) Water Crisis

Community water systems in the United States provide drinking water to more than 300 million people annually, making their reliability fundamental to public health. In regions with long histories of racial segregation and unequal infrastructure maintenance, water system failures can deepen existing environmental injustices. This study examines water quality conditions in the Jackson, Mississippi, metropolitan area following the 2022 distribution system collapse and a decade of repeated noncompliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act’s Lead and Copper Rule (LCR). Using the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 2024 updated LCR tap sampling protocol, water samples from 29 sites were collected. Samples were analyzed for lead, copper, iron, zinc, chlorine, sulfate, pH, and total dissolved solids concentrations. Chlorine-to-sulfate mass ratios (CSMR) were also calculated to evaluate corrosion potential. Demographic surveys, statistical analyses, and geospatial visualizations were used to interpret neighborhood-level patterns. Our findings show that all sites met primary drinking water standards and complied with LCR action levels but exceeded secondary drinking water standards at 100% of study sites. Seven sites exhibited CSMR values above the threshold, indicating increased susceptibility to corrosion. These results highlight the need for targeted corrosion control, treatment optimization, and ongoing monitoring, particularly in historically marginalized communities.