A new contractor has been hired to help Jackson's long-troubled water system

by

Lacey Alexander

• Published on February 27, 2023 • Comments

Workmen's vehicles align a portion of the City of Jackson's O.B. Curtis Water Plant in Ridgeland, Miss., where an emergency rental pump was installed, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022, in Jackson, Miss.
AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis

Jacobs Solutions has been contracted to operate and maintain the water plants, wells and tanks in the city. The company currently works with over 200 water systems across the country and hired any interested city workers that were working at the plants prior to the contract.

Lacey Alexander

A new contractor has been hired to help Jackson's long-troubled water system.

Ted Henifin is the interim third-party manager appointed by a federal court to help improve the city's water operations. He says Jacobs will not have much hand in the distribution of water, meaning the large task of replacing the system's antiquated piping will not fall on them.

“That work requires a lot of regular hands-on, boots-on-the-ground type things,” he said. “And we didn't want to bring that extra requirement to Jacob's right now. We want them focused on providing quality water at all times, and we're working hard to solve our distribution system issues through a series of other contractors.”

Mia Welch, who is with Jacobs, says the company is happy to provide the support for Jackson's water operation efforts.

"We have brought some dedicated subject matter experts in to help establish tools, systems and staffing procedures to have a really sustainable long-term operation here for Jackson." she said.

A Jackson Water scholarship fund for Seniors in Jackson Public Schools has been established to help them develop skills that could lead to a career in water.

“They'll get to apply and get a gain admission to Hinds Community College and pursue a course of a study in a stem or science field that could lead to a career in water.” Henifin said.

Jacobs is expected to provide services for Jackson's water system for 5-10 years.