The third-party administrator appointed for the city of Jackson’s water system should be consulted about the need for a new water tower in south Jackson, according to one of the Hinds County supervisors.
Robert Graham of District 1 believes Ten Henfin, the administrator for the water system, should be allowed to weigh in on the need for the water tower before the supervisors pursue the project.
“We’ve not even talked to him,” he said. “Now is the time to find out his thoughts.”
Graham disputes the need for the water tower that Credell Calhoun of District 3 would like constructed to serve the Henley-Young Juvenile Justice Center, the new Hinds County jail that is planned next to Henley-Young and south Jackson.
“Because the county has more pressing needs, I’m not in favor of building a water tower,” Graham said. “It’s asinine for us to think about it. What I’ve been told is that the city of Jackson doesn’t want it. If the city of Jackson doesn’t want it, why is the county wanting to spend money to build a water tower?”
The water tower won approval from the supervisors, Graham said, but he voted against it.
A water tower and pump that would connect with Jackson’s water system would ensure Henley-Young and the new jail for which ground was broken last October have plenty of water plus help with low water pressure, which has plagued south Jackson, Calhoun said.
Funding for the project, Calhoun said, would come from $14 million he expects the county will receive from the Mississippi Municipality and County Water Infrastructure Grant Program that the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality administers and $11 million in American Rescue Plan Act the county still has.
Calhoun estimates the water tower and pump could cost as much as $22 million and the earliest it could be in place and operational would be 2024. Many details and permits to push the project ahead remain.
To construct a water tower takes about six months, Calhoun said, but the difficulty these days is in securing a tank. Obtaining a tank could take as long as 18 months due to supply chain issues, he said.
Graham said he voted against the water tower because it’s not needed and he’s unsure about the funding for it. Just because the county applies for a grant doesn’t mean it will be received and he’s not sure that the county has $11 million American Rescue Plan Act funding remaining, he said.
The city of Jackson installed a 48-inch water transmission line that was expected to improve water flow to south Jackson and other neighborhoods in Jackson. The five-mile-long line was supposed to significantly increase flow to areas that have experienced low water pressure in the past, most notably during the extreme winter storm system of 2021.
“I did my research,” Graham said. “We don’t need a water tower in south Jackson. The city has put in a new water line to better serve south Jackson. The city of Jackson hasn’t told us they need a water tower.”
Graham said according to his research a $6 million water tower would provide enough water for a small city, which means a $22 million water tower is excessive.
Graham also opposes the county’s push to build a new detention center because he believes more planning is needed and the funding for it remains to be determined.
