Jennifer Kaplan, a spokeswoman for the EPA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG), told CBS News that the agency has launched a “multidisciplinary review” of the crisis. The OIG sent personnel to Jackson who are on site to collect the date and conduct interviews related to work related to the city’s water system. “We’re going to talk to as many people as we can and see what kind of work we can do,” Kaplan said. “It’s all hands on deck.” Kaplan also told CBS News that she had notified Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba’s office about the EPA investigation. Kaplan explained that there are three parts involved in the review: audits, evaluations and investigations. He did not specify which departments were developed by the OIG. The work is similar to investigations in Flint, Michigan, and Red Hill, Hawaii, Kaplan said. The Flint investigation resulted in nine charges. Kaplan explained that if there is evidence of criminal activity, the information will be referred to the Department of Justice. OIG staff will also interview state and local officials and their employees. The city of Jackson was already on notice for a boiling month when, in late August, heavy rains and flooding led to problems at the dilapidated OB Curtis water plant and a drop in water pressure throughout the city. President Biden issued a disaster declaration and Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves issued a state of emergency. The National Guard was called in to help distribute water, schools and businesses were forced to close, and residents were told to shower with their mouths closed because the water was unsafe.
