City council votes 4-0 for a $25 million dollar loan construction

HATTIESBURG, Miss - Kim Bradley City Council President says it has been a long time coming with the water waste irrigation system process.

The council recently voted 4-0 for a $25 million dollar loan construction that will fund either the mechanical or land application process, which will be chosen later in the year.

Bradley says, "The land app process will take the treated waste water and pipe it down south and use it to irrigate trees."

The council is waiting thirty days for any residents in Hattiesburg to dissapprove the city borrowing money. This is the next step in moving forward to not only choose a solution, but paying for the solution and getting the construction started.

"The EPA has come down very strong in the last ten to fifteen years. The permit limits that they require are going to become tighter and stiffer. The majority council feels that if we get away with the process, where we don't discharge at all from the river, that one day when they (EPA) is ready to tell us, 'You can't dischage into the river anymore', we are going to have a process that is going to meet that goal already at hand" Bradly says.

He also believes that the land app process, which the council prefers, will benefit the education system too.

"I believe this is an education experience where people will come to Hattiesburg to see this system of how the earth comes to clean itself."

The intent of the water waste irrigation system is to grow better quality pine trees and products to sell for Mississippi's economy.

Currently the council is waiting the thirty days, then will choose a route that will best benefit the southern region of Mississippi.

Bradley hopes it is the land appication water process and once chosen the construction will start Spring 2016.