Jackson Free Press

Mayor Johnson announced during a press conference today that the Health Department reported that water samples taken from the city's surface water system were all clear. The boil water notice for the approximately 175,000 residents on the surface water system is now lifted. The well water system in southwest Jackson's pressure is still building and when it reaches an acceptable level, testing will begin for it. City crews expect that testing should begin Monday. Residents on that system are still on a boil water notice. Please see the details below.

WELL SYSTEM PRECAUTIONARY BOIL WATER NOTICE

A precautionary boil water advisory is still in effect until further notice for all customers on the City's well water system located in the southwestern part of the City and Hinds County. The city expects to begin pulling samples for testing Monday.

THIS ADVISORY AFFECTS APPROXIMATELY 16,267 CUSTOMERS that are served by the well system. The following locations are included:

• West of Westhaven Boulevard, in addition to North Westhaven Drive, East Westhaven Drive, South Westhaven Drive, Westwood Drive and Sunnybrook Drive
• South of Interstate 20, West of Robinson Road Extension
• West of Robinson Road Extension/Suncrest Drive to Cooper Road
• West and South of Forest Hill Road/West of Interstate 55
• Oak Creek Subdivision
• Cedar Hills Subdivision
• Brookhollow Subdivision
• Willowood Subdivision
• Lake Dockery Subdivision
• Oak Leaf Subdivision
• The city of Byram

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Water Update

This is a precautionary advisory. All customers are advised to boil their drinking water until adequate pressure is restored to the system. Water should be brought to a rolling boil for one minute for the following: cooking or baking, making ice cubes, taking medication, brushing teeth, washing food, mixing baby formula or food, mixing juices or drinks feeding pets, washing dishes and all other consumption. Water does not have to be boiled for the following activities: showering or washing clothes.

Crews will collect water samples to monitor the safety of the drinking water. It typically takes at least 24-48 hours to obtain the additional test results, so it is important for customers in the affected area to continue to boil water until further notice. Residents will be notified immediately when the advisory is lifted.

For more information, customers may call 601-960-2723, during business hours or 601-960-1777 (or 601-960-1875) after 5:00PM.

Previous Commentsshow

[Verbatim remarks by the mayor today] Water System Update Briefing Sunday, January 17, 2010 – 12:00 Noon City Hall Good Afternoon! I have asked all of you here today to announce that the Boil Water Notice for the city’s surface water system is lifted. This affects approximately 175,000 residents who get their drinking water from the surface water system. The Health Department reported today that the second day of testing results were all clear and that the city’s water from the surface water system is safe to drink. The city’s well water system is still recovering and the pressure has not risen to an acceptable level for testing so those customers are still under a boil water notice. This affects approximately 16,000 residents in southwest Jackson. We urge the media to distribute the locations affected by this boil water notice so that residents will have adequate information. Those locations are: • West of Westhaven Boulevard, in addition to North Westhaven Drive, East Westhaven Drive, South Westhaven Drive, Westwood Drive and Sunnybrook Drive • South of Interstate 20, West of Robinson Road Extension • West of Robinson Road Extension/Suncrest Drive to Cooper Road • West and South of Forest Hill Road/West of Interstate 55 • Oak Creek Subdivision • Cedar Hills Subdivision • Brookhollow Subdivsion • Willowood Subdivision • Lake Dockery Subdivision • Oak Leaf Subdivision • City of Byram We hope to begin testing the well water system in the early part of this week and will continue to keep residents updated on the progress. This week I will be traveling to Washington D.C. and I will be speaking to our Congressional Delegation. My number one priority will be to discuss the water system upgrades that need funding in the city of Jackson. While we have identified what our needs are, and we have made significant progress during my previous administration, spending $117 million to begin the process of upgrading our overall system, additional funding is needed so that we can upgrade the more than half a million feet of water lines that need to replaced in our system. This cost is significant, yet I am certain that our Federal Congressional Delegation will work us to ensure that our water system receives the attention that it deserves. I want to thank all those Jackson city crews who worked around the clock in sometimes harsh conditions to bring our system back on line. I also want to express my appreciation to our neighboring cities, municipalities from other areas of the state, the Governor’s Office, MDOT, Hinds County, MEMA, the Department of Agriculture and Commerce and the National Guard for their extraordinary assistance during this water crisis. I also appreciate the donation by Kroger. They are a wonderful corporate citizen. I would also like to thank the city employees who volunteered to staff the Call Center, to help with water distribution and to contact our senior citizens who could not leave their homes. I especially thank the citizens of Jackson who came together to look after one another during this difficult time. We’ve heard stories of neighbors assisting the elderly in the community. We’ve heard of people allowing folks from across town with low water pressure to come to their home to use showers or to catch water to boil. We’ve witnessed an outpouring of care from our citizens and we really appreciate their patience and cooperation during this time. Thank you all for coming out.

DonnaLadd

Jan 17 2010