New test of water in Mississippi capital negative for E. coli bacteria, city water manager says

Jackson’s water manager says a new round of test results did not find E

JACKSON, Miss. -- The day after Mississippi health officials told residents in the state’s capital that dangerous bacteria could be in their tap water, a new round of test results did not find E. coli in Jackson's supply, the city's water manager said Friday.

Ted Henifin, Jackson's interim water manager, said repeat samples taken from the city's water system tested negative for E. coli. The new round of results, which were collected from the same locations where state officials reported positive results the day before, show the previous test was a false positive, Henifin said.

At a Thursday news conference, Henifin said state officials refused to validate the lab results before issuing the boil water notice.

“I still do not understand why the Mississippi Department of Health issued the city-wide boil water notice before confirming the initial results," Henifin said. "The damage to confidence in our water system and economic impact to our area businesses is enormous.”

The Mississippi Department of Health did not immediately respond to an email about the new test results.