The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) issued Boil Water Alerts for the City of Jackson and City of Flowood water systems on Jan. 11, 2024, after routine water samples tested positive for E.coli.

The MSDH Public Health Laboratory (MPHL) followed all procedures and protocols in the testing process as outlined by the standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Officials in the MPHL do not believe there was any contamination of the samples while in the lab and the results are not false positives. MPHL leadership staff has done a preliminary review of the lab protocols related to these results and are confident in their validity.

The MPHL is accredited by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Service, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for all testing performed.