If you think there have been more boil water notices issued by the city of Jackson this year, you would be right.
Since April 1, 27 boil water notices have been issued across the capital city, including seven on the Northside.
By comparison, there were 11 notices for the same period last year, with five occurring in Northeast Jackson, Belhaven or Fondren.
Those notices have impacted approximately 2,200 customers, including 690 in Northeast Jackson.
Jackson Engineering Manager Charles Williams said the notices have been issued as a result of losses in water pressure caused by distribution line breaks.
“We’ve had a lot of rain over the last 12 months, and a lot of shifting soils and a lot of old piping in the ground,” he said. “That’s a combo that equates to breaks. When you have a high volume of breaks, you will have a high volume of boil water notices.”
Distribution lines are the mains that carry water from the larger transmission mains to residential areas.
When breaks occur, the water must be temporarily turned off for repairs to be made. Once the lines are patched, the city restores water service, but issues boil water notices as a safety precaution.
“We have to take samples after we make the repair to make sure there are no contaminants in the water. Typically, it’s a two-day period where we take samples and then take them to the health department,” he said. “Once they clear it, we lift the notice.
“It’s a safety precaution for those who use drinking water for cooking and personal needs.”
The breaks are occurring along eight, 10 and 12-inch lines.
For full-fledged breaks, the bad line will be cut out and a new segment will be installed. For cracks, the lines will typically be clamped and sealed.
Work is done by in-house water maintenance crews. The repairs are funded by the city’s water maintenance budget. For the current fiscal year, about $1 million was set aside in that account.
Breaks affect a varying number of people, usually because of problems with water main valves.
Water flow is controlled by a series of valves, which allow water to be turned off to a particular pipe when a break occurs. However, because of advanced age, many of the valves no longer work.
When that happens, Williams said crews have to find the next closest valves, which means water is temporarily cut off for more people.
The lines are becoming more brittle as they get older, making them more susceptible to the shifting soils related to this year’s heavy rains, Williams said.
Jackson averages about 54.1 inches of rain every year. Through May 30, the city received 38.4 inches of precipitation, according to the National Weather Service.
The increased rain causes the clay-rich soils in the city to expand, shifting water pipes so much that they crack or rupture.
Williams said boil water notices will likely increase as the lines continue to age.
“Most of the lines in the city of Jackson have met or exceeded their life expectancy,” he said.
Lines in the Colonial Country Club area, for example, are 70 years or older, with some homes having been built in the area in the 1950s.
Cast iron pipes have a roughly 50-year life span, according to an article in Water World magazine. Their concrete counterparts have a lifespan of about 50 to 75 years.
Broken mains have plagued the city for years. In 2018, a record-cold winter led to more than 300 main breaks across the city.
A 2013 study conducted by Neel-Shaffer Engineering showed that 20 percent of the city’s 1,100 miles of water mains were 100 years or older; 30 percent were 60 years or older; and 30 percent were 40 years or older.
At the time, engineers estimated Jackson would need $405 million to replace the oldest lines. Based on inflation, the city would need nearly $446 million to make the repairs today.
That amount doesn’t account for additional wear and tear on the system, or repairs that have been made.
Jackson has used one-percent funds to repair some mains. The city has spent around $2 million to replace two sections of the Eastover water main, one section running from the I-55 North frontage road to Ridgewood Road, and the second section running from Ridgewood to Lake Circle Drive.
