Board members for the Pearl River County Utility Authority heard about the current state of finances, how work to rehabilitate Picayune’s wastewater system is going and the possibility of taking over a wastewater lagoon at a subdivision.
Executive Director Ray Scott said the finances for the month came in about $2,000 less than expected, but with the summer months coming up he expects the usage of water and sewer to increase, keeping the Utility Authority on budget.
Sewer came in about $4,000 less than expected, and usage at the Millard facility was about 50 percent more than expected.
Overall the Utility Authority is $147,000 under budget for the year.
Engineer Brooks Wallace gave a short update on the U.S. 11 widening project, which requires utilities to assess where their lines are and whether they need to be relocated. He said gravity lines need to be at least three feet below any road surface. Since most of the Utility Authority’s lines meet that requirement, they won’t have to be relocated.
Work to continue the wastewater rehabilitation project in Picayune is progressing. Wallace said currently there is about $200,000 left in the loan the board took to do the work. They are avoiding adding more areas in the city to rehabilitate in case problems come up that would eat into those remaining funds. If the project ends and that money is still there, the board has the option to return it and reduce their note.
Part of that work was recently conducted near the campus of South Side Elementary. Scott said in order to avoid disrupting class, the contractor agreed to line sewer pipes along Beech Street at night. Wallace said the contractor was concerned about lining those pipes, not because it was being done at night, but because the pipe was severely deteriorated. However, their attempt to line the pipe was successful, saving the Utility Authority money, and preventing them from having to dig up a large section of Beech Street to replace the pipe.
As part of a separate motion, the board approved seeking another loan from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality’s Water Pollution Control Revolving Loan Fund to continue the rehabilitation project in Picayune.
The board also discussed the possibility of taking over a sewer lagoon at New Arbor Lake subdivision. At a previous meeting the development’s owner asked the board to consider taking it over. Scott said he did some initial research, finding that costly improvements are needed. But, if the board did take it over, they would not have to conduct any significant upgrades for the first five years. Scott said other matters also need to be discussed before the board decides whether to take it over, such as a proposed rate. He asked the board’s opinion as to whether he should proceed with his research. The board agreed to allow Scott to continue, adding that he should also get the residents’ opinion whether they want the Utility Authority to assume ownership of the lagoon.
The next meeting of the board will take place at 2 p.m. May 19 in the boardroom at the Neal Road facility in Picayune.