Congress has passed water infrastructure funding legislation that includes $35 million for water projects in Mississippi. The cities of Byram, Madison, Pearl and Diamondhead, as well as Hancock County are each getting $7 million under the Water Resources Development Act.
Richard White is the mayor of Byram. He says this federal money will help support the construction of much-needed wells and a water tank.
"This new grant is going to open the door for us to move on,” White said. “Every bit of ARPA money we got, we're using it for the same purpose. It's our water and our wastewater. We're going to catch up, so I'm excited.”
The city's water infrastructure is owned by Jackson, and Byram has suffered water woes for decades alongside the capital city. White says this arrangement has only grown more frustrating for Byram residents as their system has continued to degrade and Jackson's ownership of it prevents Byram from doing maintenance work itself.
My people are very capable of fixing water pipes, okay, I promise you,” White said. “But ifwe go by something and we see a pipe that we got the stuff in the truck to fix, we cannot do it because it's their property. It’s just like trespassing.”
Byram offered Jackson $5 million in early 2023 to buy itself out of the water contract, but White says Jackson leaders have never seriously considered the offer. The well and tower construction is part of a years-long plan to get Byram off Jackson's water system and build its own, something White says he's committed to seeing before he leaves office.
“I can call ten people on my phone that are citizens and every one of them would have a complaint about the water,” White said. “Every one of us have been touched by water. That’s why I’m running for four more years because I got this water situation. I’m going to finish that before I get out.”
White says if Jackson won't sell Byram's water system back to them, the city will likely sue Jackson for control through the condemnation legal process.