JXN Water continues the work to improve the water operations for the city of Jackson with new management of the sewer system. Immediately responding to federal court order, JXN Water will work over the next four years to address the wastewater engineering challenges, staffing and budget with a list of priority projects.
“Having raw sewage flow down the streets of Jackson is unacceptable. JXN Water is aggressively at work right now to fix sewer overflows and restore sanitary sewer operations,” said Ted Henifin, interim third-party manager for Jackson’s drinking water and sewer systems. “There are about 215 overflows right now across the city and they’re in neighborhoods where people live close by… you got businesses, cars driving through, people trying to walk their dogs. They don’t want to walk near this. It causes them to have to take alternate routes. It’s just a mess, and we’re going to get at it right away.”
A summary of the public comments for the sewer order showed the overwhelming support for the work of the ITPM, with 95 percent of comments expressing favorable sentiment.
“Thank you to Jackson area leaders, the Department of Justice, the Environmental Protection Agency and others who support this opportunity to address a longstanding sewer problem in the community together.”
A full list of emergency sewer failures can be found in the court order.
You can do your part to improve the sewer system by staying current on your water bill and practicing good stewardship:
- Avoid spilling grease into faucets or toilets.
- Not flushing wipes. Even if the package claims the wipes are flushable, wipes are a major cause of potential blockages in the system.
- Only flushing the three P’s: Pee, Paper, Poo. Sewer systems are designed to handle urine, toilet paper or feces.
- If you see debris in a drain, remove it. Avoid sewer drain blockages by safely removing any trash, trees or other items that could block a sewer drain during periods of rainy weather.