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At Jackson County Utility Authority, our goal is to provide safe, clean, sparkling water to all of our residents!
Our Mission is to lead Jackson County in a unified, efficient, approach in the protection of public health and the environment by providing consistent, quality water, wastewater, and environmental services to ensure the wise, beneficial use of public resources.
The Jackson County Utility Authority (JCUA) was created by Senate Bill 2943, cited as the “Mississippi Gulf Coast Region Utility Act” General Legislation, 2006 Regular Session, now codified as Mississippi Code §49-17-70 1 et seq.
The JCUA was formerly known as “The Mississippi Gulf Coast Regional Wastewater Authority” which was created by enabling legislation, House Bill 975 of the 1980 Mississippi State Legislature, Section 49-17-301 of the Mississippi Code Annotated.
The Authority is governed by a Board of Directors, with four being appointed by the city in which they represent, and three being appointed by the Jackson County Board of Supervisors to represent the rural areas of our county. Meetings are normally scheduled for the second and fourth Monday of each month.
Within Jackson County, there are various pump stations and four wastewater treatment facilities. The four facilities are:
Pascagoula-Moss Point Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility
Escatawpa Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility
Gautier Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility
West Jackson County Regional Land Treatment Facility
Information About Our Facilities
Wastewater treatment is the cleaning of used water and sewage so it can be returned to the environment. It is the last line of defense against water pollution. Wastewater treatment is important for two major reasons: to protect public health and to protect water quality.
Wastewater comes from numerous sources which include homes, industries, schools, businesses, storm runoff and groundwater. On the average, each person contributes 100 gallons of wastewater per day.
Wastewater is transported, for treatment, to a wastewater treatment plant. A wastewater treatment plant removes solid material, reduces organic matter and pollutants, and restores oxygen. This is accomplished by means of a two step treatment process;
Primary Treatment (Removes 40-60% of the solids)
- Sanitary or Separate Sewers – carries wastewater to the treatment plant
- Bar Screens – removes trash such as rags or sticks
- Grit Chamber – Removes sand or grit
- Primary Sedimentation (Clarifier) – allows for settling of smaller particles (primary sludge)
Secondary Treatment (Completes the treatment process, 90% removal of pollutants)
- Aeration Tank – supplies air and mixing to microorganisms for consumption of organic matter
- Secondary Sedimentation (Clarifier) – separation of the solid matter from the clear treated wastewater
- Disinfection – final treatment to kill disease-causing organisms in the wastewater
Upon completion of the treatment processes, the water can be discharged into nearby waterways. It can also be used on land for agriculture and other purposes. As you can see, wastewater treatment is a vital part of the effort to protect our water resources. Clean water…that’s the goal of wastewater treatment.
Facilities Description
Pascagoula/Moss Point
The Pascagoula/Moss Point Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant (PMP) is a 10 million gallon per day (MGD) secondary wastewater treatment system utilizing the activated sludge process. The facility is manned seven (7) days per week / twenty-four (24) hours per day by a staff consisting of ten (10) personnel: Plant Supervisor, three (3) lead Operators and six (6) Plant Operators.
The facility currently treats the wastewater for the Cities of Pascagoula and Moss Point as the raw wastewater arrives at the plant via regional pumping stations, force mains, and gravity sewers. This is accomplished as the wastewater passes through the following major unit processes.
- Pretreatment: Influent pumping, screening, and grit removal
- Secondary Treatment: Aeration, secondary clarifiers, and return sludge pumping
- Final Treatment: Disinfection, flow monitoring, and plant service water (W-2)
- Sludge Thickening: Waste sludge pumping and belt thickener
- Sludge Digestion: Aerobic digesters
- Sludge Dewatering: Sludge pumping and belt filter press
The final treated wastewater is discharged into the Pascagoula River and the dewatered sludge (bio solids) is transported to the Authority’s land application facility for disposal.
The treated wastewater and bio solids discharge are monitored by the facility’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit (NPDES) as issued by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality in accordance with the regulations as established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
Escatawpa
The Escatawpa Wastewater Treatment Plant (ESC) is a three (3) million gallon per day (MGD) secondary biological wastewater treatment system utilizing the activated sludge process. The facility is manned seven (7) days per week / eight (8) hours per day by a staff consisting of two (2) personnel: Plant Supervisor and one Plant Operator.
The facility currently treats the wastewater for the City of Moss Point and the Escatawpa Utility District as the raw wastewater arrives at the plant via regional pumping stations, force mains, and gravity sewers. This is accomplished as the wastewater passes through the following major unit processes:
- Pretreatment: Influent pumping, screening, and grit removal
- Secondary Treatment: Aeration, secondary clarifiers, and return sludge pumping
- Final Treatment: Disinfection, flow monitoring, and plant service water (W-2)
- Sludge Thickening: Waste sludge pumping
- Sludge Digestion: Aerobic digesters
- Sludge Dewatering: Sludge pumping and belt filter press
The final treated wastewater is discharged into the Escatawpa River and the dewatered sludge (bio solids) is transported to the Authority’s land application facility for disposal.
The treated wastewater and bio solids discharged are monitored by the facility’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit (NPDES) as issued by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality in accordance with the regulations as established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
Gautier
The Gautier Wastewater Treatment Plant (GAU) is a four (4) million gallon per day (MGD) secondary biological wastewater treatment system utilizing the oxidation ditch process. The facility is manned seven (7) days per week / eight (8) hours per day by a staff consisting of three (3) personnel: Plant Supervisor and two (1) Plant Operators.
The facility currently treats the wastewater for the Gautier Utility District as the raw wastewater arrives at the plant via regional pumping stations and force mains. This is accomplished as the wastewater passes through the following major unit processes:
- Pretreatment: Influent pumping, screening, and grit removal
- Secondary Treatment: Aeration, secondary clarifiers, and return sludge pumping
- Final Treatment: Disinfection, flow monitoring, and plant service water (W-2)
- Sludge Thickening: Waste sludge pumping
- Sludge Digestion: Aerobic digesters
- Sludge Dewatering: Sludge pumping and belt filter press
The final treated wastewater is discharged into the West Pascagoula River and the dewatered sludge (bio solids) is transported to the Authority’s land application facility for disposal.
The treated wastewater and bio solids discharged are monitored by the facility’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit (NPDES) as issued by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality in accordance with the regulations as established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
West Jackson County
The West Jackson County Regional Land Treatment Facility (WJC) is a five (5) million gallon per day (MGD) lagoon constructed wetland treatment process, with spray irrigation and a two hundred fifty (250) acre bio solids land application facility. The facility lies within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s Mississippi Sandhill Crane Refuge and is visited frequently by members of the Audubon Society and the Sierra Club. The facility is manned five (5) days per week / eight (8) hours per day by a staff consisting of four (4) personnel: Plant Supervisor and three (3) Plant Operators.
The facility currently treats the wastewater for the City of Ocean Springs and the West Jackson County Utility District as the raw wastewater arrives at the plant via regional pumping stations and force mains. This is accomplished as the wastewater passes through the following major unit processes:
- Pretreatment: Seventy-five (75) acres three (3) cell lagoon and screening
- Secondary Treatment: Wetland pumping, one hundred ten (110) three phase constructed wetland, spray irrigation pumping, and spray irrigation fields
- Final Treatment: Effluent pumping, disinfection, and flow monitoring
- Bio Solids Disposal: Sludge pads, sludge spreader, and sludge fields
The final treated wastewater is discharged into Bayou Costapia and the bio solids from Pascagoula/Moss Point, Escatawpa, and Gautier transported to the facility are received and placed on storage pads for final disposal on the land application site. The land application site is used to grow Bermuda grass, which is harvested as hay and sold as feed for livestock.
The treated wastewater and bio solids discharged are monitored by the facility’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit (NPDES) as issued by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality in accordance with the regulations as established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency
Regional Pump Stations
These facilities serve as the collection and transportation stations for the Authority, pumping an average of eleven (11) million gallons per day (MGD) of wastewater. The pump stations are located throughout the Authority’s service area in relation to the treatment facility to which the wastewater is conveyed. The pump stations are checked by Maintenance Personnel, five (5) days per week and operate twenty-four (24) hours per day. The following are the treatment facilities associated with and the locations of the Regional Pump Stations:
Pascagoula/Moss Point WWTP:
Pump Station 9 Louise Street, Pascagoula
Pump Station 10 Ingalls Avenue, Pascagoula
Pump Station 11 Criswell Avenue, Pascagoula
Pump Station 15 Frederick Street, Moss Point
Pump Station 16 Bellview Street, Moss Point
Pump Station 17 Oakwood Street, Moss Point
Pump Station 18 Elder Street, Moss Point
Pump Station 19 Orange Grove Road, Moss Point
Pump Station 35 Hwy. 63, Moss Point
Pump Station 36 Hwy. 614, Moss Point
Escatawpa WWTP:
Pump Station 20 Highway 63 North, Moss Point
Pump Station 33 Highway 63, Wade
Gautier WWTP:
Pump Station 13 Martin Bluff Road, Gautier
Pump Station 14 Homestead Boulevard, Gautier
West Jackson WWTP:
Pump Station 1 Stuart Avenue, Ocean Springs
Pump Station 2 Simon Street, Ocean Springs
Pump Station 3 Bechtel Boulevard, Ocean Springs
Pump Station 4 Government Street, Ocean Springs
Pump Station 5 Beachview Road, Ocean Springs
Pump Station 6 Tucker Road, Ocean Springs
Pump Station 7 Gulf Tech Street, Ocean Springs
Pump Station 8 Groveland Road, Ocean Springs
Pump Station 21 Green Acres Drive, Ocean Springs
Pump Station 23 Biddex-Evans Road, Ocean Springs
Pump Station 24 Gulf Tech Street, Ocean Springs
Pump Station 25 Humphrey Road, Vancleave
Pump Station 26 Hamil Farm Road, Ocean Springs
Pump Station 27 Palmetto Drive, Ocean Springs
Pump Station 28 McNair Boulevard, Ocean Springs
Pump Station 29 Old Fort Bayour Road, Vancleave
Pump Station 30 Jim Ramsey Road, Vancleave
Pump Station 31 Jim Ramsey Road, Vancleave
Pump Station 32 Highway 57, Vancleave
Pump Station 34 Ridgeland Road, Vancleave
Pump Station 37 Pine Avenue, Vancleave
