PEARL RIVER COUNTY, Miss.—New leaders at the Pearl River County Water Association said they are working to rebuild trust and improve service after state inspectors gave the system failing marks last month.
The association elected new board members on March 17. Since then, the new leadership has started holding monthly public meetings and plans to make long-needed improvements to the system.
The Mississippi State Department of Health inspected the association’s three water systems on March 20. All three received an F on the annual Public Water System Capacity Assessment Form.
Charles Pharr, the board secretary and treasurer, said the low scores reflected years of poor consistency, responsibility and transparency under previous leadership.
“It’s not about making revenue so we can make a profit,” Pharr said. “It’s about making revenue so we can reinvest with the system so we can make sure the system stays solvent for the future.”
Adrian Lumpkin, the association’s newly elected president, said more than 7,500 customers rely on the system for drinking water in their homes. He said the new board is focused on maintaining the system and making improvements.
Lumpkin said proposed changes include a modern website, an easier payment portal, automatic meter readers, staffing improvements and closer review of individual wells and tanks to identify needed repairs.
“We want to bring transparency where everybody that’s getting water off this system knows what they’re getting,” Lumpkin said. “We want to improve it.”
Lumpkin asked residents for patience as the board works through the changes and continues monthly meetings.
For updates and employment information, residents can visit the A New PRC Water Association Facebook page.
This article first appeared on RHCJC and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
