JXN Water confirmed Friday afternoon that it stopped a sanitary sewer overflow into the Pearl River it discovered nine days prior. However, an expanded state water contact advisory for the river from elevated bacteria levels, issued on Thursday, remains in effect.
The new warning extends an already-existing advisory for the Pearl River — which since 2019 has ranged from the northern tip of Hinds County to Byram — to the Na Sandifer Memorial Highway Bridge just north of Monticello, in total stretching over 60 miles. The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality cautions against contact with the river — such as swimming, wading and fishing — in the affected areas until further notice.
“This expansion of the advisory is based on test results showing the potential for human health risk well beyond the original advisory zone,” said MDEQ Executive Director Chris Wells in a Thursday press release. “We continue monitoring the situation and conducting additional testing to determine the full extent of the impact.”
The Pearl River is seen Wednesday, October 17, 2018 near Mayes Lake Campground in Jackson. Credit: Eric J. Shelton, Mississippi Today/ Report for AmericaMDEQ told Mississippi Today on Friday that, based on JXN Water’s information, between 10 millionto 20 million gallons of untreated sewage entered the Pearl River per day during the malfunction. Over nine days, that would equal 90 millionto 180 million gallons total. For reference, there were 41 sanitary sewer overflows (or SSOs) at the West Bank Interceptor between the start of the year and March 31, according to JXN Water’s quarterly report, totaling around 5 million gallons.
“While this is one of the most extensive water contact advisories we’ve issued in recent years, we do not anticipate that the expanded advisory will remain in place long-term,” said MDEQ Communications Director Jan Schaefer. “The release has been stopped, and we expect bacteria levels to begin to normalize through natural biological processes and dilution.”
According to JXN Water, the city’s third-party utility in charge of its sewer and drinking water infrastructure, its contractors discovered a “catastrophic failure” at the West Bank Interceptor where it crosses Hanging Moss Creek on May 28. The city has long struggled with that facility, which is the main transmission line to the Savanna Street Wastewater Treatment Plant, dating back at least to its 2012 consent decree with the Environmental Protection Agency. JXN Water also attributed the recent issue in part to “severe and rapid erosion” along the river’s banks near the interceptor because of heavy rain this spring.
As a temporary fix, the utility’s contracted crews put in four bypass pumps to redirect wastewater through nearly 4,000 feet of piping. JXN Water said the long term fix requires repairs to two damaged interceptors, estimating a cost of over $7.5 million. The cost of the temporary measures, including diesel for the pumps and rental equipment, will be around $300,000 a month, the utility said.
Water flows through the low head dam at waterworks curve on the Pearl River Wednesday, October 17, 2018 near Mayes Lake Campground in Jackson. Credit: Eric J. Shelton, Mississippi Today/ Report for AmericaJXN Water spokesperson Aisha Carson said the utility will use its operations budget to pay those costs, as the large infusion of federal funding it received is largely reserved for drinking water repairs. The utility is working with the EPA to secure emergency funding, Carson added.
U.S. District Court Judge Henry Wingate placed control of the sewer system under JXN Water in 2023. One of the priority projects included in the order is to rehabilitate the West Bank Interceptor. JXN Water’s last quarterly report projects “substantial completion” by Aug. 30, 2026.
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