Construction is expected to wrap up this week on a major sewer main project on the Northside.
And residents living nearby will be happy to know that once the work is finished, the smell of sewage in that area and along Crane Boulevard should go away.
In November, several main breaks occurred on Meadow Heights Drive and Brook Drive in Fondren.
At press time, crews had made repairs to the 12-inch main along Brook Drive, and were working on replacing the 8-inch line along Meadow Heights, Public Works Director Bob Miller said.
The Meadow Heights line runs from Meadow Hill Drive to a tributary that runs into Eubanks Creek.
Because of the broken main, sewage has been leaking into the tributary and flowing into the Eubanks, which is a violation of the federal Clean Water Act.
Eubanks Creek has been identified as part of the “waters of the United States.” Any leakage of untreated wastewater into the line is a violation of the law.
Under a federal sewer consent decree, the city is fined for the leak, a “sanitary sewer overflow,” or SSO.
Fines are $500 for each overflow, according to a copy of the decree.
“As soon as I was made aware of the issue, I directed the staff to respond and locate the break that same day. Upon hearing that sewage was entering the tributary, I declared an emergency (and) directed staff to engage a contractor to make the repairs,” said Public Works Director Bob Miller.
Hemphill began work on November 22 and finished point repairs on November 29, he said.
The cause of the break was not known at press time, but Miller believes it is like-
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ly related to the line’s age and the condition of its surrounding soil.
“The sewer lines in the area are approximately 60 years old and (are) approaching the end of (their) designed lifespan,” he said. “It is expected that failures of this type will occur at an increasing rate until the lines are rehabilitated or replaced.”
Both lines affect approximately 26 homes. Residents living along Crane Boulevard also had complained to the city of a sewage smell, which was a result of the breaks.
One sewer pump was installed to carry waste from a manhole served by the broken line to another manhole unaffected by the break.
It was not known at press time if the pump was still in place.
Sewer problems highlight the city’s overall struggles with its aging sewer system.
In 2012, the city entered into a sewer consent decree with the U.S. Department of Justice and Environmental Protection Agency.
Under the decree, Jackson was initially required to make about $400 million in upgrades to bring the system into compliance with federal law.
Recent estimates from city officials, though, show the city is facing between $600 million and $800 million in repairs.
Jackson is also facing hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines associated with SSOs.
SSOs occur when sewage leaks out of the sewage system. The overflows can be caused by everything from collapsed and broken mains and excessive flow to grease and other debris causing blockages.
When materials from the overflows enter bodies that are identified as “waters of the United States,” the city is fined.
Annual reports to the feds show the city has had 852 collection system SSOs since the consent decree was implemented.
As of June 2017, 701 have reached waters of the U.S., according to Davina Marraccini, public affairs specialist for EPA Region Four. Region Four covers the EPA’s Southeast Region, which includes Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee and Florida.
Another 34 SSOs were reported between July and September 2017, according to city documents, bringing the total potential fines for the city to $367,500.
At press time, the agency had not collected on the fines.
“EPA has enforcement discretion to demand, reduce or waive stipulated penalties due under the consent decree. EPA looks at the facts and circumstances of each case in determining, when, whether and how much to assess,” she said.
The agency likely will not collect on the full amount as long as the city moves forward with implementing consent decree requirements, according to a former city official who spoke to the Sun on condition of anonymity.
Since its implementation, the city has made progress. In 2014, the city had cleaned out all of the storm cells at the Savanna Street Wastewater Treatment Plant. Sludge from those lagoons is expected to be disposed of by December 31.
The storm cells are essentially storage lagoons, which allow plant operators to divert excess flow at times of high capacity. Excess flows typically occur during times of heavy rain, when the city’s porous collection system is infiltrated by rainwater.
For years, the city did not clean out the cells and had to divert untreated wastewater into the Pearl.
Additionally, crews have implemented a flow monitoring program and have finished up several repairs to the West Bank Interceptor.
The interceptor is the major sewer main that serves much of Northeast Jackson. It runs along the west bank of the Pearl River and carries wastewater to the treatment plant.
City officials have 17.5 years to implement improvements. Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba’s administration hopes to renegotiate that timeline with federal officials.
