Kemper County water customers seek to replace Porterville Water Association board after months of outages

Customers of the Porterville Water Association have petitioned to replace three of the utility’s seven board members after months of outages and low water pressure, Mississippi Today reported. The association asked a Kemper County chancery court for a temporary restraining order to block a special meeting, and a judge granted the request and set a May 19 hearing, Mississippi Today said.

Willie and Pauline Thompson, a couple in their 80s, told Mississippi Today they have gone 11 months without running water at their Porterville home while still receiving a monthly $40 bill. Willie Thompson said the couple first noticed low pressure in 2015 and lost running water entirely last May. “And I’ve been paying a bill ever since,” he said to Mississippi Today.

The Thompsons said they have relied on store-bought and donated water, and that community members have recently delivered jugs to their home. Willie Thompson said he bought a plastic tank and a pump to run water into their faucets. Mississippi Today reported the Porterville Water Association serves more than 2,000 people across Kemper County.

Other customers described long-running problems. Tooney Hill, who lives near Scooba, told Mississippi Today his water has a strong chlorine smell that bleached clothes and damaged appliances. Organizer Davin Talbot said petitioners have more than the 10% of member signatures required under state nonprofit law to call for new board members, Mississippi Today reported. A Mississippi Today investigation last year found widespread struggles among small water systems in the state and said nearly 60% had committed a violation in the past three years.

The Porterville Water Association deferred comment to its attorney, Dustin Markham, Mississippi Today reported, and Markham did not respond to repeated calls seeking comment. Kirby Mayfield, director of the state Rural Water Association, told Mississippi Today the system’s problems worsened after the death of longtime operator Floyd Jenkins and said the hilly terrain requires high pressure and new lines. Republican Rep. Billy Calvert, who has ties to Porterville, said he supports the petition and pointed to recently passed state legislation that he said increases oversight of rural water systems, including regular rate and capacity studies and a Department of Health list of financially distressed systems, Mississippi Today reported.

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