Water Employee Fired After Talking To Press About Lead Problems

A water utility employee in Jackson, MS, was fired in March after talking to reporters about lead concerns.

Jonathan Yaeger discovered “lead components in a city water main and then told the public,” The Clarion-Ledger reported. Yaeger was working as an engineer in training “when he found a corroded band of lead connecting two pipes while helping replace a water main,” the report said.

“I was disappointed in the decision of the director to, in my view, put the reputation of the city before the safety of the public,” Yaeger said, per the report. “I think what I did is ethically right.”

The city’s termination letter to Yaeger said he portrayed the city “in a false light, which may be damaging to the reputation of the department. Your assertions were not accurate and lacked important context. You were not authorized to take the portion of the pipe joint nor provide this city property to a non-city employee,” according to the report.

“Yaeger received a letter of termination March 23. Public Works Director Kishia Powell says Yaeger's actions contributed to false information being provided to the citizens of Jackson and possibly created unwarranted public fear,” MLBT reported.

The city also argues that Yaeger violated ethical codes for engineers by disclosing information without consent of his employer, according to the Clarion-Ledger report.

Yaeger’s response: “The nature of a whistle-blower is you’re unable to get the consent; therefore, you go beyond what is employee protocol. I think that as a public servant, my duty is to provide information that allows the public to make informed decisions, not to keep secrets for the sake of the city’s reputation.”

Yaeger took steps to handle the matter internally before going to the press, he says.

“When he first discovered the lead joint, Yaeger said he took his concerns to officials in his department, even offering to address City Council, but they discouraged him from doing so,” the report said.

A spokesperson for the mayor told the newspaper: “It is city policy not to comment on personnel matters.”

The need to alert the public about lead concerns has been a hot topic in the aftermath of the lead contamination crisis in Flint, MI, where public officials appeared to withhold important information from customers.

For instance, one official resigned in January from the regional EPA office overseeing Flint. At a congressional hearing in March, members of both parties gave her an earful about failing to warn the public, The New York Times reported.

“There’s a special place in hell for actions like this,” said Rep. Earl Carter, R-GA, referring to the failure to alert Flint residents about lead problems.

For more stories about water utility workers, visit Water Online’s Labor Solutions Center.