Jackson city officials aren’t sure when they’ll be able to repair two recent sewer main breaks on the Northside but hope to make the repairs as soon as possible.
In late August, a sewer main collapse forced the closure of two lanes of traffic along Ridgewood Road, while residents in Eastover were reporting strong sewage smells near the upper twin lake.
The Ridgewood break occurred just south of Lockwood Avenue. City crews had installed a sewer pump and put up orange barrels, reducing traffic along the busy thoroughfare to two lanes.
“We probably have a collapsed line and have to pump around it,” said Public Works Director Robert Miller. “We will be working to get that repaired.”
Public works was looking into the sewer issue in Eastover, which occurred at Boxwood Circle and Lake Circle near Douglass Drive.
“We’ve sent the city to investigate it to see what caused it, Miller said. “We will determine what the problem is and what fix is needed.”
“I imagine it is something that is straight forward and we can get to it promptly.”
It was unclear how the repairs would be funded. Jackson was recently awarded $7.25 million to make emergency sewer main repairs, but those repairs have already been identified.
Miller said both breaks would have to be reported to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), but didn’t know if the city would face fines as a result.
Under its sewer consent decree, Jackson can face fines of $500 a day for each instance where untreated wastewater enters a body of water identified as part of the “Waters of the U.S.”
The twin lakes empty into a tributary that drains into the Pearl River, which is less than a mile away.
City officials had not determined if sewage had entered the lakes at press time.
Jackson entered the decree in 2012. The decree is being monitored by the EPA and the U.S. Department of Justice.
Since then, the capital city has amassed more than a million dollars in fines related to sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs). The EPA has yet to enforce those penalties.
Jackson is currently planning to renegotiate terms of the decree. Talks will likely include the SSO fines, Miller said.
