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WEST RANKIN UTILITY AUTHORITY
Wastewater
Treatment Plant
Susan Marquez
46 MGD and operates at approximately 43 MGD.
Currently, west Rankin County sends 13 MGD to
Jackson. “There is only a 3 MGD left for growth,”
says Stephens. “After that, the plant will need
to expand, and that cost will be passed on to
residents of Rankin County. Although our share
of the expansion would be $150 million, the
WRUA would have no say in the design or build
of the project. It came down to building our own
facility or being at the mercy of someone else.”
The new WRUA wastewater plant will cost
just under $100 million and will have a permitted
capacity of 20 MGD. “We predict that capacity
will support our service area for 25 more years,”
states Stephens. That means Rankin County
will save $50 million, while no longer being
dependent on the Jackson facility. There is land
available at the WRUA wastewater site to triple
the capacity in coming decades.
The final phase of the construction is wrapping
up, and the plant will begin operation in late
August. “It takes several weeks to get up to full
speed,” explains Stephens. “We should be
completely online by the end of September.”
Stephens says that residents and businesses in
the area should notice no changes.
Brandon Mayor Butch Lee says that the plant
is a great example of interlocal politics. “We
went to the bond market, got some money and
built our own plant. Now we can control our
own rates, and not be at the mercy of anyone
else. This will be a good thing for all of Rankin
County. It will be especially good for economic
development. This is a generational fix that will
service us well into the future. We will have a
state-of-the-art facility that will be maintained to
the nth degree.”
39042 Our Town • 17