Records obtained by the Northside Sun from the Mississippi Department of Health (MSDH) show that issues with the city’s water system date back to 2017.
The Mississippi Department of Health’s Bureau of Water Supply referred the city to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency after an inspection on February 3, 2020.
The federal environmental watchdog agency issued an order to the city on March 27, 2020, which it says is a final agency action and commands the city to make the mandated changes to its water system.
The order said that conditions in the Jackson system represented “an imminent and substantial endangerment to the persons served by the system.”
The recent fire at the O.B. Curtis water treatment plant that resulted in a boil water notice for the entire city of Jackson provided more evidence of the continuing issues with the city’s water system.
On April 30, an electrical fire at the plant shut down two high-service pumps and thus the entire plant. The boil water notice wasn’t lifted until May 3.
The city’s water system has two treatment plants, O.B. Curtis (treats water from the Ross Barnett Reservoir) and the other, J.H. Fewell (treats water taken from the Pearl River). In addition, the southern part of the city is served by nine groundwater wells, with six of those still in operation. They were shut down in 2014 and brought back online the next year due to problems with the distribution system.
Here is a timeline of the issues with the city’s water system:
2016- The city tells the MSDH that its water distribution system contained or had the probability of lead service lines.
December 29, 2017 – MSDH requests information in a letter on recommendations made to ensure city of Jackson compliance with PH standards at both O.B. Curtis and J.H. Fewell water treatment plants. This is important because PH levels can lead to corrosion of water pipes that allow lead and copper to leach into the city’s drinking water.
December 29, 2019 – The city of Jackson was supposed to have completed modifications at O.B. Curtis and J.H. Fewell plants required for the city to follow the lead and copper rule of the Safe Drinking Water Act. The city made repairs at Curtis but deferred similar upgrades at Fewell because city officials want an amended corrosion control study that would override the recommendations of expensive upgrades at Fewell. The study wasn’t to be conducted until April 2020.
February 3, 2020 – Survey conducted by Mississippi Department of Health and the EPA office finds numerous discrepancies, including turbidity (the measure of the degree in which water loses transparency because of dissolved solids), disinfection concerns and the condition of the distribution system.
February 28, 2020 – The MSDH informs the EPA of the city of Jackson’s continued violations of clean drinking water standards.
March 6, 2020 – The MSDH sends Jackson city engineer Charles Williams a list of requirements on monthly and weekly operating reports for the water system.
March 27, 2020 – EPA issues emergency administrative order to the city for discrepancies with the water system.
April 28, 2020 – MSDH sends reminder that city has a significant deficiency that must be resolved by May 8.
May 8, 2020 – Deadline passes for action by city on significant deficiencies found in water system.
May 14, 2020 – The MSDH asks in a letter for completion dates on action items required to rectify deficiencies. These include staffing issues (the lack of sufficient Class A-certified operators to ensure one is always on shift at the two plants), condition of storage tanks that were found to have standing water around them and the installation and calibration of monitoring equipment.
May 20, 2020 – The City says in a letter to the MSDH that it will have two new operators by June 30 and add two more in 2021. The city also says it has received the turbidimeters (which measure the turbidity of the drinking water and will receive equipment calibration standards by June 5. It also says it will have a new membrane in place by May 1, 2021.
June 30, 2020 – The MSDH says it won’t dispute the city’s assertion that there is no lead, lead solder or copper in the plumbing of the city’s water distribution system, but asks for documentation to support “your new findings” by July 15, 2020.
February 2021 – Water treatment plant study project report provided to city council members.
April 14, 2021 – MSDH sends an letter asking the city of Jackson if the public works department intends to install a permanent liquid lime system at Curtis and the timeline for installation of liquid lime and CO2 feed systems at Fewell.
