Jackson Free Press

The City of Jackson has extended a "precautionary boil notice" from last week's treatment-plant shutdown. At the same time, the City is still in discussions with the Mississippi State Health Department about how they will proceed with compliance to the corrosion control plan, despite potential penalties that could cost taxpayers up to $25,000 a day in fines after the Jackson City Council elected not to award the contract to Trilogy Engineering Inc.

"At this point, we are waiting to talk to the City to find out what direction they are going to go," Liz Sharlot, communications director for the MSDH, said over the phone Monday morning.

Sharlot confirmed that it is possible that the City could be fined $25,000 per day for being out of compliance, but at the moment, "that's the potential," she said. Sharlot explained that while the State has the ability to penalize, it is not the default route for ensuring Jackson's cooperation.

"We are waiting to see what the City is going to do," Sharlot reiterated.

The City Council, despite warnings from its attorney and employees from the Water Department, declined to approve a contract up to $400,000 with Trilogy Engineering Services, LLC., a company owned by Phillip Gibson and Thessalonian R. LeBlanc. Council members had doubts concerning the timing of the approval process and the fact that they had only one firm placed in front of them, as well as the qualifications of LeBlanc, the majority owner of the company, who is not an engineer and lives in Houston, Texas.

The compliance plan is to ensure that the corrosion control systems, which monitor and correct pH balance and alkalinity in the water, make sure that the lead that might be present in older homes is not leached into the water when it sits in the pipes. Issues with the corrosion-control system then cause the lead to leach.

State Epidemiologist Dr. Thomas Dobbs explained that these sorts of lead levels are not as dangerous for healthy adults as they are for small children and pregnant women and, especially, for the fetuses they carry.

"The real issue with lead is a developmental issue," Dobbs said, adding that the level experts look for in children is really very small, about 5 milligrams per deciliter, but that even in such small doses, lead can cause dramatic effects in small children. He said that because their brains are developing and growing so quickly, that consistent and prolonged exposure can result in delayed reading and verbal function in children 6 months to 5 years old. 
"For this reason, it is really important to follow our guidelines," Dobbs said. Those guidelines are available on the MSDH website, including ones on preventing small children and pregnant women from drinking the tap water without an approved filter, or making sure bottled water is always available.

One important source of water for infants is in their formula, and so the MSDH recommends that mothers use ready-to-feed formula to circumvent the need for using water for preparation. Dobbs said that those families participating in the Women, Infants and Children's Nutritional Program would be able to receive some ready-to-feed formula from their local health department location. Those on the WIC program that receive ready-to-feed, the MSDH said, would receive less formula than their regularly allotted amount.

The MSDH is now encouraging parents to bring children 6 months to 5 years old to either their primary care physician or the MSDH office to undergo a lead test. Dobbs said that while it was preferable that the children go to a physician where they might also be screened through other important tests as well, parents can bring them to MSDH offices for a $30 lead screen. Families who have Medicaid and CHIPS plans can use them to pay for the test. Everyone else has to pay for the test at the time. Dobbs said that it would take a few days to receive the results.

The MSDH is performing these lead screenings for children Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Today, March 14, is the first day of testing.

As for adults, Dobbs again repeated what has been said before, that the water is safe for healthy adults to drink, especially for bathing and washing clothes. That is, after the boil notice is lifted.

An employee of the Water Department told the Jackson Free Press this weekend that the water notices on Friday with the J.H. Fewell facility centered around an electrical problem with the system. After almost a solid day of work and intermittent water service, the system was restored, but a valve issue caused all of the stored water to be flushed out. As the system refilled, it is standard practice to issue a boil water notice.

However, Monday morning, the boil-water notice was renewed. Calls to the city encounter a recorded message informing citizens that the City will issue public alerts through their messaging system and notices when the boil notice is lifted.

Email city reporter Tim Summers, Jr. at [email protected] See more local news at jfp.ms/localnews and read more about local water problems at jfp.ms/jxnwater.