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Jackson, Mississippi (WLBT) – The Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership is calling for the creation of a regional authority to manage Jackson’s water system.

In a letter sent Tuesday to local, state and legislative leaders, a group representing 1,400 businesses said earlier this month it was unable to provide water to tens of thousands of customers amid an ongoing water crisis. , recommended several steps to reform the city’s system.

Boardroom leaders are calling for the creation of a “regional utility service model within existing service areas.”

“Regional governance is a model that has proven to work in other parts of Mississippi and across the country,” writes Jeff Rent, president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce. “Jackson’s utility system serves Byram, rural Hines County, Ridgeland, and eastern Madison County. Allow members of local authorities to share power and responsibility.”

Under the Authority, multiple government agencies are represented on boards and responsible for setting rates, collecting bills, and serving infrastructure needs.

Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antal Lumumba said in an interview with Roland Martin on Monday that he does not support the idea.

Martin, a nationally known podcaster and MSNBC contributor, was interviewing the mayor as part of the Poor People’s Campaign livestream event.

“The last option they presented was that of regionalization, stating that they need more toll payers to keep the system going,” Lumumba said. “On the surface, it makes sense. When you bring it in, yes, it means more people are paying into the system, but… you expand your responsibilities, now you have to take care of their plant. Hmm…you have to take care of all their infrastructure issues.”

On the other hand, he said Jackson’s infrastructure would probably not be prioritized in favor of other members of the authority under the regional system.

It’s also not yet known if other municipalities want to join forces with Jackson.

In a previous interview, Clinton Mayor Phil Fisher said he would not support doing so, and said his city had never considered it. Concerned about what his city’s toll payers will be paying to take care of infrastructure needs.

“I heard a report from Mayor Lumumba that they need $200 million,” he said. “They will come to Clinton and say, ‘OK, your part of the $200 million is to get the part of the system that you want to use right.'”

The Chamber of Commerce went on to say states should have representation on the board, but not owners and operators.

“The recent breakdown of Jackson’s water system has affected every home and adversely affected every business in the city,” wrote Rent. and statewide, impeding our ability to attract new businesses and residents to Magnolia State.”

Jackson’s water crisis began on August 29, when an equipment failure at the OB Curtis water treatment plant dramatically reduced water production. As a result, the pressure in the system dropped and many customers were left without water or water pressure.

Curtis supports approximately 43,000 connections. A plant in Ridgeland near Barnett Reservoir, with two treatment processes, he is allowed to process up to 50 million gallons of water per day. But according to Mississippi Emergency Management Association statistics, he generated just 16 million gallons on August 31st.

The Chamber joins others who called for the creation of a regional authority, including Rep. Shanda Yates. “It is tragic that the city does not have the resources to deal with the current emergency or to properly maintain the water and wastewater systems going forward,” she wrote in her Sept. 1 letter. “So it’s time for states to play an active role in solving this public health crisis.”

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