Jackson Free Press

This is a verbatim statement received today.

BOSTON, February 15, 2017 – The City of Jackson, Mississippi has signed a 10-year operations and management agreement with Veolia Water North America-South, LLC, a part of Veolia Environnement (Veolia). Veolia, the global leader in environmental solutions and optimized resource management, will operate the area’s three wastewater treatment plants and will provide other related infrastructure services and activities.

As part of the partnership, Veolia will be responsible for operating Jackson’s three wastewater treatment facilities (Savanna, Trahon and Presidential Hills) with a combined design capacity of approximately 125 million gallons per day. Veolia personnel also will assume responsibility for 98 pumping stations and sludge disposal.

The City of Jackson will continue to own all assets and maintain authority over the setting of rates and short- and long-term capital planning, but will rely on world-class expertise from Veolia to provide day-to-day O&M services. The company and its personnel will support planning objectives for capital improvements, maintenance requirements, and policy and regulatory efforts.

The selection of Veolia allows the City of Jackson to access industry best practices and the knowledge and experience gained from Veolia’s operation of 8,500 water and wastewater facilities around the globe.

“Operations and maintenance of critical wastewater infrastructure is one of our core functions as a global environmental services provider,” said John Gibson, president and COO of Veolia North America’s Municipal & Commercial business. “Jackson’s selection of Veolia as its environmental services partner helps the city leverage Veolia’s experience and provides Veolia the opportunity to make a difference in the City of Jackson and improve service levels and wastewater quality and compliance.”

The contract will focus on a number of key areas identified by the City of Jackson during the competitive bidding process, including:

Environmental compliance

Risk transfer

Operational efficiencies

Job preservation and creation

Internship/co-op program

Enhanced health and safety programs

Veolia is also committing to provide Jackson technical and management assistance in meeting the terms of the city’s 2012 Consent Decree and will help the city maintain environmental compliance.

Veolia will operate the wastewater treatment system and facilities that serve the City and parts of Hinds County, western Rankin County and eastern Madison County. Veolia is committed to supporting Jackson’s Triple Bottom Line (3BL), an accountability framework that measures quality of life improvements; efforts to stabilize the City’s economic base; and implementation of compliant solutions that improve the resilience and vibrancy of all communities in the City of Jackson.

“Our local team looks forward to achieving Mayor Yarber’s vision of a resilient and vibrant community and appreciates the trust and confidence the mayor, the city council, and the Department of Public Works has placed in Veolia. We look forward to the chance to make a difference in the lives of area residents through our partnership and provide opportunities for local businesses and quality of life enhancements in Jackson,” added Gibson.

The company intends to exceed the city’s minority and female business enterprise contracting goals outlined in the bidding process through partnerships with local subcontractors, ensuring that the company provides jobs and opportunities for area businesses keeping money in the local community.

The contract was signed with Veolia Water North America - South, LLC, a legal entity of Veolia Environnement.

Veolia group is the global leader in optimized resource management. With over 174 000 employees worldwide, the Group designs and provides water, waste and energy management solutions that contribute to the sustainable development of communities and industries. Through its three complementary business activities, Veolia helps to develop access to resources, preserve available resources, and to replenish them. In 2015, the Veolia group supplied 100 million people with drinking water and 63 million people with wastewater service, produced 63 million megawatt hours of energy and converted 42.9 million metric tons of waste into new materials and energy. Veolia Environnement (listed on Paris Euronext: VIE) recorded consolidated revenue of €25 billion ($27.2 billion) in 2015. www.veolia.com