Water leak behind Jackon city hall lost more than a million gallons

A white fire hydrant located behind Jackson City Hall was open and flowing nonstop for over three weeks, spilling out enough water to fill two Olympic size swimming pools.

Sitting on the steps near the statue of Andrew Jackson in downtown Jackson, facing west toward the Clarion Ledger building, one could watch the fire hydrant spew out clear water on to the street all day and night. So much so, green algae had started to form on the bricks of South Congress Street where the fire hydrant is located.

The Clarion Ledger calculated how many gallons of the city’s water the one fire hydrant located in front of the newspaper's office building was losing per day. Clarion Ledger staff members timed how long it took for the leak to fill up a 5-gallon bucket. After multiple tests, it was determined it took an average of 7 seconds to fill up the orange bucket — though some tests clocked it at 6.1 to 6.5 seconds.

Using the more conservative time of 7 seconds, the fire hydrant leaked nearly 43 gallons of water per minute, more than 2,500 gallons per hour and more than 61,000 gallons per day. In the 25 days since the leak first started, a total of just over 1.54 million gallons of the city's water had been lost. That is enough water serve the daily needs of 15,000 Jackson residents.

JXN Water charges $3.85 per 100 cubic feet, which is about 748 gallons. The 1.5 million gallons bled from the hydrant is equivalent to just over 200,500 cubic feet. With this one leak, the city lost more than $7,700 in potential revenue. That is about $308 per day.

The South Congress leak is illustrative of the challenges faced by JXN Water as it repairs leaks throughout the city.

Starting as a ground leak first noticeable on July 6, construction crews took up the bricks on South Congress Street, which has been closed for more than a year, to make a repair shortly after. City officials were seen watching the water flow. The fire hydrant was then opened to reduce pressure after the repair, said Ted Henifin, the third-party water administrator, federally appointed to fix the city's water system, in a text.

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Henifin said a "big problem is people don't want to bother to report" leaks in the city and encouraged residents to call if they see one in their neighborhood. Henifin couldn't be reached for further comment on the matter.

The open fire hydrant was turned off on Aug. 1 after the Clarion Ledger called Henifin to ask him questions for this article.

"We're glad that the water's been shut off and hope that all the necessary repairs will be made. We have full confidence in Mr. Henifin's capabilities to address that issue," said the mayor's spokesperson, Melissa Payne, about the leak.

Leaks in the city's water system are extensive and many have gone unreported and unaddressed for years. One leak near the old Colonial Club golf course was spewing 5 million gallons a day for about seven years, losing the city an estimated $16.8 million.

Henifin has previously stated that a city the size of Jackson needs to pump 15-20 million gallons of water per day to fit the needs of residents. But the water system has had to pump 40-50 million gallons per day for inefficiencies, including millions of gallons a day lost due to leaks.

If you know of other major leaks in Jackson, please contact Charlie Drape at [email protected].