Water distribution in Jackson, Mississippi.Photo: Houston Cofield/Bloomberg via Getty

A member of the National Guard directs vehicles arriving at a water distribution site during a water shortage in Jackson, Mississippi, US, on Friday, Sept. 2, 2022. The governor of Mississippi called in the National Guard to help residents of the state capital after a plant failure left at least 180,000 people in the area without access to safe water.

The boil water notice in Jackson, Miss., has officially been lifted, but there is still more work to be done.

The Mississippi State Department of HealthannouncedThursday that the water in the state capitol “is now safe to drink” after a boil water notice was issued nearly seven weeks ago.

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves also confirmed that clean water had been “restored” to the city at a press conference Thursday afternoon, per theAssociated Press.

“We understand that nobody is happier than the residents of Jackson,” said Jim Craig, with the Mississippi State Department of Health, according to ABC affiliateWAPT.

Security personnel outside the O.B. Curtis Water Treatment Plan in Jackson, Miss.Brad Vest/Getty

Security personnel greet each other outside of the O.B. Curtis Water Treatment Plant on August 31, 2022 in Jackson, Mississippi. Jackson, Mississippi, the state’s capital, is currently struggling with access to safe drinking water after disruption at a main water processing facilty.

The boil water notice had been in effect for a month when Reevesdeclared a state of emergencyand activated the National Guard in response to the crisis.

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Water pressure wasrestoredto the city on Sept. 5, but the boil water notice remained in place for another 10 days. Reeves said the state has “significantly increased the quantity of water produced” after stepping in to assist.

“We’ve restored water pressure to the city. We’ve installed an emergency rental pump. We’ve fixed and re-installed broken parts on-site, and we’ve monitored and tested water quality,” the governor said on Thursday, according to WAPT.

Water distribution in Jackson, Miss.Rory Doyle for The Washington Post via Getty

Mississippi National Guard members direct traffic at a water distribution site at the Mississippi State Fairgrounds in Jackson, Mississippi on September, 1, 2022.

This may not be the last time some residents experience boil water notices, however.

According to the DOH, “Future boil-water alerts may be necessary in some neighborhoods as water system repairs are made.”

Reeves noted that the city’s water system “is still imperfect,” but that officials still plan to address the ongoing issues amid the state’s continued response to the crisis, according toNBC News.

“It is possible, although I pray not inevitable, that there will be further interruption,” Reeves said. “We can not perfectly predict what will go wrong with such a broken system.”

Before consuming the water, the DOH urges Jackson residents to “take a few precautionary steps” and assure clean drinking water is actually flowing through their faucets and other plumbing.

Residents are encouraged to run the faucets used for drinking water for three to four minutes, and dishwashers for one or two cycles, the DOH said on Thursday.

Water from a hot water heater should not be used for drinking “until several exchanges of the tank have occurred,” the department added.

Residents are also encouraged to throw away any ice, food or drinks made after the boil water notice was issued.

source: people.com