Category: Press Release

JXN Water encourages residents to stay hydrated and adapt to the ongoing high temperatures by conserving their water. The increase in water usage in Jackson is leading to an additional four million gallons of water being delivered per day, which puts strain on the system.

Residents can reduce water usage through mindful conservation methods:

1. Reduce the use of outdoor water usage such as pools or sprinkler systems
2. If watering outside is necessary, try to water during the cool parts of the day
3. Avoid letting sinks and faucets run
4. Take shorter showers
5. Use dishwashers for full loads only
6. Check sinks and faucets for leaks

JXN Water crews will be doing work on West Fortification Street between Woodrow Wilson Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive starting today. This will cause road closures and detours for an estimated two months during construction starting sometime between Friday, August 4 and Monday, August 7.

The following roads will be closed while crews work on the project:

• West Fortification Street, between Woodrow Wilson Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive
• North Prentiss Street, between Capers Street and West Fortification
• Longino Street, between Capers Street and Campbell Street
• The intersection of West Fortification and Watson Street

The recommended detour for northbound traffic is to use Bailey Avenue to West Monument Street to West Capitol Street then go to Parkside Place to connect to Bullard Street and vice versa for southbound traffic. View a map of detours and road closures for the project online:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=19b5blA4ZvViHG1YZD9kiilZDXcaUkSc&usp=sharing

Customers can call 601-500-5200 to ask any questions about the project or how their commute may change during construction.

This project supports efforts to improve water service to South Jackson and has the following infrastructure benefits for JXN Water customers in central Jackson neighborhoods:

• Point repairs to existing leaks west of Prentiss Street
• A 20” inch main replacement from Prentiss Street to Palmyra Street
• Repairs to a long-standing leak near Town Creek
• Boring for a new 20” crossing under the railroad at Thompson Street/MMC Materials concrete yard
• Repairs to a collapsed sewer main on Prentiss Street
• A street reconstruction at the Prentiss and Fortification intersection

Jacobs, the operations and maintenance partner for JXN Water, self-reported an exceedance in the utility’s Monthly Operating Report (MOR) to the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH). The Monthly Operating Report captures a variety of information to highlight overall water quality production.

While this exceedance was flagged on the MOR, the measurement is recorded as an interim step within the treatment process and at no time did the turbidity readings for water leaving the plant exceed Safe Drinking Water Act requirements.

In the June 2023 MOR, the O.B. Curtis individual filters exceeded the permitted turbidity limit of 0.5 NTU. Turbidity is a measure of the water’s cloudiness and shows the filtration system’s effectiveness. The turbidity exceedance resulted from impacts to treatment due to source water quality fluctuations from the Ross Barnett Reservoir and currently, limited water quality monitoring at the intake and process controls in the plant.

This exceedance is not subject to public notification requirements, however, JXN Water and Jacobs are committed to proactively communicating with water consumers to elevate awareness of the work occurring in the system.

“We are diligently working to provide the necessary design upgrades to the facility to prevent future occurrences and put temporary measures in place to address the issue in the interim,” said Tepricka Morgan, Jacobs Operational Communications & Community Engagement Lead. “While improvements are in progress, we will operate the water treatment system to achieve water quality in line with regulatory parameters and are committed to keeping the public informed of efforts.”

The Jackson, Mississippi, water system operates under Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) regulatory oversight. As the law requires, JXN Water notifies the MSDH if exceedances occur related to the water system and the MSDH provides this information regularly to the public.

This week the MSDH will notify the public of violations associated with Corrosion Control Treatment for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Lead & Copper Rule.

The water system has received the “Failure to Meet Water Quality Parameters” violation since 2018 and the “Failure to Install Corrosion Control Treatment” since 2020. Unfortunately, these two violations will continue to occur, and notices issued until Mississippi State Department of Health-approved treatment improvements are put in place at the water treatment plants and the associated Water Quality Parameters can reliably be met.

JXN Water contracted Jacobs to operate the J.H. Fewell (JHF) and O.B. Curtis (OBC) water treatment plants and water system tanks, wells and booster stations on February 20, 2023. JXN Water retained operations and maintenance of the water distribution system, the piping and components that carry potable water from the treatment plants to consumers.

“To address long-term water system compliance issues, JXN Water and Jacobs are working to implement improvements that will allow the system to achieve the Mississippi State Department of Health-approved Water Quality Parameters,” said Dr. Russell Ford, Jacobs Global Solutions Director for Drinking Water and Reuse. “Jacobs and JXN Water are committed to bringing the Jackson water system into regulatory compliance under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA).”

Maintaining compliance with the Water Quality Parameters depends on the water produced from the water treatment plants and the state of the distribution system and its operation.

Jacobs has been working diligently to operate the water treatment facilities safely and efficiently. In addition to onboarding existing staff and providing ongoing training and development, Jacobs is developing standard operating procedures and implementing critical systems and processes, a maintenance management system, and a laboratory/compliance program.

Since late February, Jacobs has:

• Restored Water Treatment capacity to the O.B Curtis (OBC) Plant through membrane repairs – The membrane plant initially produced 10 Million Gallons per Day (MGD). Jacobs identified and repaired multiple issues with the membranes improving production. The membrane plant now has an average finished water production of more than 20 MGD stabilizing the OBC Plant to allow for completion of other critical repairs in the plant.

 

• Improved water treatability – Jacobs provided a solution to clear the main sediment basin drain line working with a local, onsite construction contractor. This clear line now allows for regular and efficient draining and cleaning of the three OBC sedimentation basins, a key part of the water production This cost-effective solution eliminated a long-term, temporary pump previously required to clear the basins.

 

• Increased capacity and improved production stabilization – Working with the local onsite construction contractor and a local engineering firm, Jacobs oversaw the completion of ongoing repairs to Filter #24 at the J. H. Fewell water treatment plant returning the filter to service. This repair provides an additional 2 MGD of filtration capacity, stabilizing the plant operations and allowing for filter maintenance while maintaining plant water production.

 

• Hired 47 operators, mechanics, technicians, and support personnel to address understaffing – When Jacobs arrived onsite, the plants were not adequately staffed to operate and maintain the water treatment Jacobs hired 47 individuals, including licensed operators and brought their pay and benefits up to industry benchmarks.

 

• Engaged industry experts to conduct a Desktop Corrosion Control Study – Coordinating with industry experts, Jacobs is assessing corrosion control practices across the water treatment and distribution Improvement recommendations arising from this study will be coordinated with the Mississippi State Department of Health and the EPA for approval prior to implementation.

While improvements are in progress, Jacobs and JXN Water will operate the water treatment system to achieve water quality in line with regulatory parameters and are committed to keeping the public informed of efforts.

Anyone with concerns about their water quality, please contact JXN Water Customer Service at 601-500-5200.

July 13, 2023

JXN Water releases the closing statement of Interim Third-Party Manager Ted Henifin shared in Judge Wingate’s courtroom earlier today:

• Thank you, your honor, for holding this status conference and for giving me the opportunity to provide a few closing thoughts.  I will try to be brief.
• Being responsible for the drinking water system in Jackson, MS, especially given the history of the failures that residents have endured for so long, is an immense and humbling one for me and my team.
• I have a small team of caring people who only want the best for the citizens of Jackson.  They bravely stepped into the management and operational void at great risk to their reputations and careers.  The job descriptions, qualifications, and the method by which fair compensation was determined were discussed in detail during a previous status conference. In the case of Jordan Hillman, her salary – market based for the new responsibilities she has assumed as the Chief Operating Officer of JXN Water is approximately 185 percent above her previous salary with the city. She earns every penny in that as she is responsible for practically every improvement in the system JXN Water has accomplished to date. She works around the clock – everyday of the week. We would be struggling without her knowledge, expertise, and passion. I owe her a huge debt of gratitude.
• The same is true of the major contractors we have hired – both within Jackson and from outside.
• We learned a lot over the past two days.
• We appreciate all the people that took time to be here in person or sent in statements or who just listened in.  I hope all of you will stay engaged.  We will need your support and confidence if we are to truly be successful.
• There were many common themes:
  • The water system has been struggling for a long time
  • Most speakers feared that it would take upwards of a decade to fix
  • There is little trust in the water quality
  • People are so accustomed to receiving Precautionary Boil Water Notices that they are suspect when they are no longer seeing them regularly
• We are aware of these concerns and have been working to prioritize our efforts.

JXN WATER PRIORITIES

• JXN Water has been racing to accomplish the top two priorities:
  • Ensure the water is treated at the plants to be safe – meet all standards
  • Ensure the system pressure is maintained to get all customers pressurized water at all times
• There are thousands of miles of pipes and water infrastructure that keep water flowing every day in the City of Jackson. Water crews are fixing leaks and main breaks that waste the water you need and cause water availability issues.
• Since February 2023, we’ve repaired nearly 200 leaks and opened 90 closed valves.
• Water operators are creating a professional system that maintains the water treatment plants and distribution system according to industry standards.
• In the months ahead, JXN Water will improve the distribution system, replacing small-diameter pipes and upgrading treatment processes at the water plants.

SUPPORTING LOCAL FIRMS

• JXN Water was created under the direction of Judge Wingate and with the assistance of the City, State, USEPA, and USDOJ, and your congressional representatives, because the people of Jackson could not wait years for systems that did not exist to be built and for expertise that did not exist locally to be grown. To expeditiously meet Judge Wingate’s demands for improving the water system, help was secured with qualified contractors who could deliver immediately. At the same time, we have worked foremost to partner with local firms whenever possible.  We are committed to engage with local firms even more extensively going forward – while insisting that they perform to the high standards we are trying to deliver as your water system.
• JXN Water is inspiring a new generation of local water professionals who will take care of the system for their community well after the federal order is completed. We are standing up a minority contracting program with the assistance of a local minority owned consulting firm. Our goal is to directly employ small Black owned firms whenever possible, help navigate the sometimes challenging path to become a subcontractor to one of the prime contractors JXN Water is using, and ultimately to establish new Black owned small businesses with the capacity to perform many of the needed long-term maintenance and operational support work necessary  in Jackson and Central Mississippi long after this interim order has ended.

JFD PARTNERSHIP

• We have been at this for 7 months and have made great progress – opening valves, fixing leaks, building systems to support operations – GIS mapping, hydraulic modeling, asset management, and assessing all valves.  Soon we will evaluate all hydrants in the system – something not done in a long time and which will provide the JFD with critical data to support their operations.
• During this status conference we learned how JFD has been successful in spite of decades of water issues in Jackson resulting in low pressures throughout the system – THEY COME TO EACH FIRE PREPARED TO FIGHT IT WITH WATER ON THEIR TRUCKS. Time is not lost when they encounter a dry hydrant as they have already developed plans to account for this potential – they are professionals and they are prepared.
• Rather than wondering IF a hydrant will have water, when we are done they all will be color coded so with one glance the JFD will know how much pressure they can expect from each fire hydrant in the system.
• We’ve been in regular communication with the JFD on the maintenance of fire hydrants and we’ll continue working together.

YOUR WATER IS SAFE

• Let me be clear — Your water is safe, straight from the tap. We recognize that there can be issues with the plumbing in your home or office that can impact what’s happening with the water delivered to you. There can also be events with the distribution system such as water main breaks, broken pipes, flushing the water lines as part of normal system operations or sudden changes in temperature outside that can account for short-term discoloration and/or cloudiness.
  • Water meets all Federal and state requirements. The discussion this morning about the MSDH recommendation was covered at length during a previous status conference and the transcript is available to the public. I do not think we need to revisit that as a result of Mr. Kricun’s comments this morning. The MSDH recommendation is just that – a recommendation and not an advisory. It appears to have no regulatory basis and only applies to Jackson.
  • The consumption of water or anything else by vulnerable populations is a personal choice between the individual and their health care provider.
• Taste and odor issues are very common in the water industry and are not new to utilities throughout the country, including here in Jackson.
• Let us know if you have any issues.
• Troubleshooting your water is something we’re here to do with customers to understand what is causing the issue. Please call customer service at 601-500-5200 so water quality professionals can help.
• Your water is tested regularly and most of that testing is done right here in Jackson by highly trained Jacksonians. They care about your water because it’s their water too! The latest water quality report is available on JXNWater.com with the most recent test results.

IMPROVING COMMUNICATIONS

• Over the past two days many people seem to be using the word transparency in the place of communications.
• There are three ways to get the best and most credible information about JXN Water:
  • ONE – The website – JXNWater.com and JXN Water social media posts
  • TWO – Our call center – 601-500-5200. Reach JXN Water anytime to manage new service requests, ask billing questions and report leaks.  601-500-5200 connects you to staff 24 hours per day, and every day of the year.
  • THREE – Directly from the JXN Water staff – with direct mailings to your home or business; at community meetings, events, town halls, etc. where JXN Water is present; other printed materials produced by JXN Water

• We follow up. Call center representatives work with the JXN Water team to actively resolve issues and quickly get back to you.
• Nothing is being hidden but we can do a better job communicating what information is already available on our website JXNWater.com.
  • The quarterly report – required by Your Honor’s Interim Stipulated Order, requires an in-depth discussion of everything JXN Water is doing. That report has been publicly available since it was completed at the end of April 2023. The next report will be equally informative and is due to be completed at the end of this month. There is no lack of transparency with that information – it just has not been communicated as well as we could.
  • The Financial Management Plan (referenced by at least one speaker) was posted at the end of January and really lays out the path forward – at least the one we could develop with the information we had at that time.
    • • We know there is no lack of transparency about that because we have gotten a great deal of feedback on the issues addressed therein, including during this status conference.
      • One of those key issues has been the future of JXN Water.  On that subject, I have been transparent and consistent in my commitment that (1) the water system assets must remain publicly-owned and (2) that great weight must be given to the desires of the Citizens of Jackson as I develop any recommendations to the Court about how we ensure the water system will be resilient into the future.
      • One of my mantras – I reserve the right to be smarter tomorrow – will play out with updates to this plan – as we have better/new information – including public input – we will adjust our plan accordingly.

• • JXN Water has tried to accommodate any and all requests to speak to groups within the community – answering questions at all events – I personally have attended more than 30 since December and JXN Water staff has participated in another dozen. JXN Water has made accessibility a priority throughout these first 7 months, despite the overwhelming operational demands on our team.

• We also learned we still have much room for improvement with communications.
  • JXN Water was stretched thin in these early months – we triaged the many things we needed to accomplish to ensure safe and pressurized water.
  • We recently had a two-day communications workshop at the end of June and our communications strategy is being developed with our communications team – staffed with various consultants.
    • Many things we discussed during that workshop align with the comments made here over the past two days – as we implement you will see improvements with JXN Water’s communications.
  • We also learned we have a blind spot for the Latino community here in Jackson and need to focus effort on reaching that community to ensure everyone has access to safe drinking water all the time.

IN SUMMARY

• We know we have a long way to go to earn back our customers’ trust that their water is safe, pressure is reliable, and their bill is accurate.
• JXN Water takes all of the concerns seriously and we’re working hard to serve the community better every day.

• Again, thank you Judge Wingate for this opportunity for the public to provide input on how we are doing and areas we need to improve while we strive to implement your Order to restore the water system. As has been discussed today, you have been a step ahead on these issues with the very detailed status conferences held to date. Those transcripts provide detailed answers to the questions raised and I encourage citizens to read them.

JXN Water customers are receiving letters about the city’s water quality as part of the utility’s mandatory annual filing due in July every year.

The 2022 Water Quality Report is now available at JXNWater.com/WQR.

JXN Water hopes you will read the report, which features:

• A data table that details the testing results from January 1 through December 31, 2022.
• Source water information (where we’re getting our water from)
• Summary of monthly water analyses showing what’s in our water
• Water utility resources, including JXN Water’s new customer support number, 601-500-5200, that connects you to staff 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

This report is transparent about the known problems and challenges the system faced in the past year. JXN Water continues to change for the better to re-establish the water system in Jackson.

“From the source water to the tap, JXN Water is committed to providing safe, reliable water you can depend on. JXN Water has worked tirelessly to resolve pressure issues throughout the water system,” said Ted Henifin, JXN Water interim third party manager. “Since February 2023, we have repaired nearly 150 leaks and opened 90 valves (fully or partially closed). We are not done with our work. In the months ahead, JXN Water will improve the distribution system, replacing small-diameter pipes and upgrading treatment processes at the water plants.”

As JXN Water continues to make improvements in the system to maintain the community’s safe, clean, and reliable drinking water, news from the White House that needed help is coming for the people of Jackson, Mississippi water infrastructure is well received.

“President Biden and Congressman Thompson have demonstrated their unwavering commitment to the City of Jackson and its citizens by making a historical investment in water infrastructure,” said Ted Henifin, JXN Water’s third-party water manager. “I am also grateful to Mayor Lumumba and others in the community that worked so hard to obtain this funding. We still have a long way to go to fully repair the system and restore the public’s confidence. However, this initial installment of the $600 million appropriated for the Jackson water system will help us accelerate our work to ensure everyone in Jackson can access reliable, safe, and affordable water services for generations to come.”

President Biden recently announced an initial $115 million installment towards repairing the city’s water infrastructure challenges and delivering clean water to all residents as part of his Investing in America agenda. This funding is a part of “federal bipartisan legislation to help stabilize Jackson’s drinking water infrastructure and protect against future crises,” according to a statement from The White House.

Additional details concerning other monies and financial support expected or received by JXN Water are provided in The Financial Management Plan released on January 27, 2023.

JXN Water is experiencing pressure issues in parts of the system this morning. JXN Water staff believes the issue is related to an existing line break worsening in the area near Fortification and Capers, Bailey and Maple and a new leak, yet to be discovered.

JXN Water staff is working to expedite repairs on the known leak as well as identify and isolate the new leak that appears to have developed in the past twelve hours.