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Jackson water plant still ‘a couple years’ from winter protection

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Jackson water plant still ‘a couple years' from winter protection

Nearly one year ago, thousands of residents in Mississippi's capital without for weeks when a winter storm shut down the city of 's main water treatment plant.

Today, the city's head engineer says the plant is still another years away from having the protection it needs against a repeat winter weather event.

The city is also working to fix a new set of outages in south Jackson, which began last week after an equipment failure at the treatment plant as well as breaks in some of the water lines. City Engineer Charles Williams said that the issue was not weather related, and updated on Monday that it'll take at least a couple days to rebuild pressure in the system.

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Williams — who recently stepped aside as Public Works Director, but still oversees the water system — explained that while the city has improved the efficiency at the O.B. Curtis water treatment plant over the last year, the facility remains vulnerable to freezing weather. 

“I'm not really sure how we would respond again to that right now,” Williams told Mississippi Today.

He said that because Jackson, like many Southern , never anticipated the kind of unrelenting freeze that struck last year, it will take a while to adjust.

“What we've been to articulate is this is not something that's going to be done overnight,” he said. “It's going to take probably a couple years for us to get to where we need to be.

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“The likelihood of another winter storm coming, we don't know. Obviously there have been some changes in the climate. It looks like the South is going to be a lot more affected with the polar vortexes that are coming down, bringing colder temperatures and potential for snow and ice.”

Williams specified that the long-term goal is to build enclosures around O.B. Curtis, especially on the side that intakes untreated water from the Ross Barnett Reservoir. A majority of the equipment at the plant is outdoors and exposed, which is why the cold had such devastating effects a year ago. 

READ MORE: Why Jackson's water system is broken

He said he expects one new enclosure around the membrane side of the plant to be finished by April. The city recently secured $27 million through the federal Drinking Water Revolving Loan Fund, which it's spending on the enclosure as well as upgraded heat tracing at the plant to help warm the equipment and prevent freezing.  

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O.B. Curtis, Jackson's primary treatment plant, is itself split into two filtering systems: the conventional and membrane sides, which each can treat 25 million of water per day. 

Williams said that after repairs the last few months, both sides of the plant are in better shape than when last year's storm hit. 

The conventional side, which uses ultraviolet light to kill bacteria, was only running at about two-thirds capacity before the freeze. Williams said that a couple U.V. reactors still need repairs, which he hopes will take just another 30 to 45 days, but that the conventional side is running at its needed capacity. 

On the other side, only three of the six membrane trains were running when the storm hit. Williams said that five of the six are now working, and that he expects to have the last one fixed by February. 

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He clarified that the train that went offline last week — which in part caused the current outages — didn't break, but failed a test from the health department, forcing plant personnel to turn the train off.

As far as upgrades, the city is also looking at its aging distribution system: $8 million of the $42 million the city received through the is set to go towards a new 48-inch water main near Jefferson St. that will reach down to Interstate 20. Williams said the new line will bring better water pressure to south Jackson, and expects it to be in place by this time next year. 

Jackson City Council also recently approved a 20% increase on water and sewer bill rates in addition to a $9,000 salary increase for treatment plant operators; both moves should help recruit and retain plant personnel, Williams said, and the added bill revenue will go towards routine maintenance.

He said the plant lost some staff over the last year, and described the situation as being “barebones” during the fall, although the department did recently hire a new operator and instrument technician. Operators are still the priority because federal law requires one of them to be at the plant 24/7, and Williams said he hopes to hire two more within the next month or so. 

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READ MORE: Federal infrastructure bill won't address Jackson water crisis without help of state leaders

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Mississippi News

Nettleton hires Houston DC Kyle Bond as next head football coach

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www.wcbi.com – Jon Sokoloff – 2024-03-28 20:51:30

SUMMARY: Nettleton High School has hired Kyle Bond as its new head football coach. With over a decade of coaching experience, Bond started at Kossuth High School in 2012 and has since worked at and Booneville, where he led the team to an undefeated regular season and division championship in 2018. Bond spent the last four seasons as the defensive coordinator at Houston. He takes over from John Ketih, who left to become an assistant principal at New Albany Middle School. Bond's coaching experience and at Houston make him a promising addition to the Nettleton football program.

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Mississippi News

Aberdeen mayoral election: Incumbent Charles Scott

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www.wcbi.com – Allie Martin – 2024-03-28 18:45:46

SUMMARY: Voters in Aberdeen, Mississippi, will head to the polls for municipal elections, with Charles Scott running for reelection against challenger Dwight Stevens. In an interview, Mayor Scott discussed his goals for a second term, highlighting his focus on improvements, youth leadership, and community involvement. He emphasized his experience in the military as preparation for the mayoral role and mentioned his pride in securing grant money for the Aberdeen Port. Scott also outlined plans for Aberdeen Vision 2030, a roadmap for future . The election will take place on Tuesday, with no Republican challenger, meaning the winner will become the next mayor.

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Mostly clear through Easter weekend – Home – WCBI TV

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www.wcbi.com – Ashleigh Bryant – 2024-03-28 18:26:14

SUMMARY: Clear conditions are expected to continue through the end of the in Columbus, Mississippi. Temperatures will drop into the 30s on Thursday night with possible patchy frost. Friday will bring more sunshine with high temperatures in the low to middle 70s. The will see temperatures pushing towards 80 degrees with no rain expected. Next week, warm and humid will flow into the Deep South, with a of scattered showers and thunderstorms on Tuesday. It is still uncertain if these storms will be severe, but it is being monitored closely.

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