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

By MICHAEL GOLDBERG
Associated Press/Report for America

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Jackson’s water manager says a new round of test results did not find E. coli in the city’s supply. The announcement comes one day after Mississippi health officials told residents in the state’s capital that dangerous bacteria could be in their tap water. Ted Henifin, Jackson’s interim water manager, says repeat samples taken from the city’s water system tested negative for E. coli. Henifin says the new round of results shows the previous test was a false positive. At a Thursday news conference, Henifin said state officials refused to validate the lab results before issuing the boil-water notice. State health officials did immediately respond to a request for comment.