JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – JXN Water officials said they will work to improve the water operations for the City of Jackson with new management of the sewer system.
In response to a federal court order, officials said 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. “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% of comments expressing favorable sentiment.
JXN Water offered the following tips for customers to stay current on their water bills and practice 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.
