Petal leaders making progress ARPA, MCWI infrastructure projects

PETAL, Miss. (WDAM) – Work continues in Petal as leaders make improvements to the city’s water and sewer lines after receiving federal and state help back in 2022.

“From a physical standpoint, the work’s been done out in the field,” Petal Mayor Tony Ducker said. “We’re still passing paperwork around. There’s a portal that you sign on with the state.”

The city is paying for the projects through the American Rescue Plan Act and the Mississippi Municipality and County Water Infrastructure Grant.

“We spend $2.6 million on approved federal projects, we could also with these approved federal projects get another $2.6 from the state,” Ducker said.

Over at Dawson’s Cut-Off, Ducker said they were able to install a new sewer line to help with waste management as more people move to the area.

“We had around $928K reimbursed,” said Ducker. “We still have around $1.6 million that we are still looking to get, so hopefully around the next month or so we can get that well on its way.”

The mayor said the extra money also allowed them to fix a culvert that was damaged on Sherry Lynn Road during a storm.

Pipes and pumps were also upgraded in the Eastover community.

“We had had long-term problems with getting the system out there to work as efficiently as it should, so I was really glad to be able to get that part taken care of,” Ducker said.

Other areas include Castlewoods Estates and a few more spots around Mississippi Highway 42.

“It will give us some upgrades in two areas particularly when it pertains to lift stations,” Ducker said. “We’ve had some issues, but we’ve also had a lot of growth out there, so this should answer that question.”

The projects must be completed by December 2026.

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