3 companies illegally dumped waste in Jackson's sewers. 1 has settled, but suit continues

Three companies were sued by the City of Jackson for illegally disposing millions of gallons waste into the sewer system. One has now settled, but attorneys with the city said the suit will continue.

During their Tuesday meeting, the Jackson City Council voted to approve a settlement of $630,000 from Partridge-Sibley Industrial Services, a waste-hauling company that took part in the years-long dumping scheme. This was one of two settlements the council approved.

"This was a bad situation, obviously, and something that the City of Jackson needed like a shotgun blast to its head, which was to introduce toxic wastewater to our sewer system," Attorney John Hawkins told the council.

Hawkins is a lawyer from Hawkins Law, a local firm the city hired for the suit.

"It was a terrible course of conduct," Hawkins added. "What we've asked you to approve today is to settle with some of the defendants, not all of them, so the case would proceed."

Th city filed suit against Partridge-Sibley and two other companies in 2021. Three defendants associated with Partridge-Sibley were also named in the suit: Justin Mahfouz, Louie Garrett and Charles Carroll Partridge, the executor of the estate of Donald Richard Partridge who died in March. It is unclear what each of the defendants positions are in the company.

More info on how the companies illegally disposed of waste

The other two companies named in the city's suit are Gold Coast Commodities, an oil and fats refinery in Brandon, and Rebel High Velocity Sewer Services, based in Jackson. City attorneys said they are continuing to litigate to reach a settlement with both companies.

"For years leading up to 2014, Gold Coast consistently discharged its corrosive waste into the sewer system near its facility, with the waste running into the Jackson sewer system through transmission lines that connect to Jackson's wastewater treatment plants," the lawsuit states. "Gold Coast's illegal dumping into the sewer system contributed to the capacity strain and sewage overflows that has plagued the City's wastewater collection and sewer system for many years."

In 2016, both the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality and the City of Brandon opened investigations into Gold Coast after hearing reports of the illegal dumping. The City of Brandon informed Gold Coast their intention to install a monitor at the Gold Coast facility to observe its disposal activities.

This is where Partridge-Sibley and Rebel come into play.

Under threat of investigation, the lawsuit states, Gold Coast hired Partridge-Sibley and Rebel to help continue disposing waste illegally.

"To aid in disposing Gold Coast's waste, Partridge-Sibley delivered a large storage tank to the Rebel facility," the lawsuit states. "Partridge-Sibley and Rebel then excavated the City's sewer line servicing the Rebel facility and inserted a pipe into the sewer line that they connected to the storage tank. This facilitated the discharge of Gold Coast's industrial waste directly into the City's sewer system."

Further, the lawsuit states that "in 2017 alone Partridge-Sibley transported at least three million gallons of Gold Coast's wastewater to the Rebel facility for disposal into the City's sewer system."

While Partridge-Sibley was taking part in this illegal activity, the company was also under contract with the city to remove sludge from the city's Savanna Wastewater Treatment Plant.

"Partridge-Sibley thus was being paid to illegally discharge waste into the City's sewer system, while also being paid millions of dollars to remove waste buildup downstream at the City's wastewater treatment plant, thereby profiting on both ends of the Defendants unauthorized waste disposal activities," the lawsuit states.

In total, the City estimates the damage to the sewers from the waste exceeds $15 million.

In January 2021, Andrew Walker, the owner of Rebel High Velocity Sewer Services, admitted to having illegally discharged 3 million gallons of industrial waste into the Jackson Sewer System in an effort to avoid the expense of treating the waste. It's unclear if Walker has been sentenced as no record is on file.

Gold Coast's president, Thomas Douglas, the plant manager, John Welch Sr. and vice president, Robert David Douglas, have also all been indicted.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: How 3 companies illegally dumped waste into Jackson MS sewers