Debris from the Pike County jail damaged two pumps at Magnolia’s north sewer treatment lagoon, forcing the city’s aldermen to approve the emergency purchase of a new pump for the sewer system.
Aldermen on Tuesday accepted quotes from two companies — Southern Electric of Brookhaven and Tom Smith Electric of McComb — to replace one of the pumps on the system and took the quotes under advisement. Southern Electric quoted a price of $5,090, but raised the cost by more than $1,000 for fast delivery. Tom Smith’s price was $5,562, but included no delivery or shipping costs.
Magnolia provides sewer service to the county jail, which is just outside city limits on Jesse Hall Road.
Mayor Melvin Harris and Alderman George “Lucky” Chaplain said Tuesday that debris from prisoners at the jail was flushed through the sewer system, entered the pumps and clogged them, burning them up.
The system has a filtering screen, they said, but some items managed to get past the filter.
Harris said a check of the pumps revealed clothing, plastic bags and a shoe. He and Chaplain said the smell from the lagoon and the broken pumps was so bad that they eventually had to leave.
“I had to go home and take a shower, the smell was so bad,” Harris said.
He added that people living in the areas around the lagoons had been complaining about the odor.
He said the new pump for the lagoon has blades built in that will shred material to prevent it from damaging the motor.
Harris said he is also going to the next Pike County Board of Supervisors meeting to ask for help from the county.
“This is a problem involving the county,” he said. “I think they ought to help us.”
