A Brookhaven water well that has been down is now on schedule to be back up and running.

Ward 1 Alderman James Magee Jr. presented a motion to the Board of Aldermen this week to get the well reinstated as soon as all the proper quotes, testing and work could be completed. The Board voted unanimously in agreement.

Magee had been working with Public Works Director Keith Lewis and Water Department Superintendent Kris Xifos to address the issue. The well, which was built in 1964 and purchased by the city from the Lincoln Rural Water Association in 2015, has a history of problems, primarily in pumps failing due to power issues. The city also purchased the privately-owned Brignall sewer system around the same time. Prior to the city’s purchase, the community did not have city water or fire protection.

Lewis said Entergy will work alongside the city and the contractor to insure the electrical side of things goes well as the pump is brought back into service.

“Since I got in office, that was one of my top priorities to get that station back up for this community up here, because the further you go north, the water is browner and pressure is lower,” Magee said.

Water lines in the Brignall community are currently tied into the municipal water system, but bypass the Brignall well. The city has nine wells running, Lewis said — each of which is quality tested monthly — and each is connected to the other in “one big loop.” No complaints of low pressure or brown water in Brignall have been filed with the city’s water department.

Xifos said he has one quote for the work and is awaiting another before presenting the bids to the aldermen at the next regular meeting Aug. 17.

Lewis said once a bid has been approved and the selected contractor reworks the well, pump tests will have to be completed and submitted to the Mississippi State Department of Health. When all tests come back approved, construction to reroute water lines will begin, followed by the electrical work. A lot of upgrades need to be made and unnecessary equipment will be removed, said Lewis.

“Our goal is to have this completed and it be in service by the end of the year,” Lewis said.

Alderman Magee said he was very happy with each alderman on the board for voting to get the project going.

“I would like to commend the entire board for their unanimous approval of my motion to reinstate the Brignall Community Water Well #10,” he said. “This will provide efforts to reduce contaminants and undesirable components, or reducing their concentration, so that water becomes fit for its desired end use in helping improve the water pressure that is dispersed throughout the Brignall community.”