Mississippi Officials Say Water in State Capital Is Safe One Day After E. Coli Scare

JACKSON, Miss.—One day after Mississippi health officials told residents in the state’s capital that dangerous bacteria could be in their tap water, the state health department said Friday that city water was safe to consume. Mississippi health officials lifted their health advisory after a new round of test results did not find E. coli in Jackson’s supply. The announcement reverses the Mississippi Department of Health’s Thursday instructions for Jackson residents to boil their water before consuming it. The move came hours after 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 likely a false positive caused by lab contamination, Henifin said....