The city of Vicksburg will be getting a $1.2 million loan through the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality’s Water Pollution Control Revolving Fund Loan Program for work on the city’s 111-year-old sewer system.

The board authorized Mayor George Flaggs Jr. on Oct. 16 to sign an agreement with DEQ to get the low-interest loan, which will be used to repair and upgrade the city’s sewer system.

“This is for continuing the sewer rehabilitation, and this is the first piece of SRF loans approved for the next phase of construction,” said Edwin Dedeaux with Jackson-based Allen Hoshall, the project engineer for the sewer system work.

The money is the first draw of a $27.76 million loan that will be used over time to repair and upgrade the city’s sewer system. The city drew $1.24 million in 2018 for the sewer project.

Dedeaux said the city is required under state regulations to apply each year for the loan.

City accounting director Doug Whittington said the loan is for the fourth phase of the project.

The board in May 2018 applied to get on the state’s priority list for the money to meet the requirements of an Environmental Protection Agency consent decree after tests determined raw sewage was allowed to flow into local streams and the Mississippi River.

Under the terms of the consent decree, which was signed in 2013, the city paid a $17,000 fine and was required to assess, map, repair, replace and upgrade its aging sewer system over a 10-year period. The EPA in March lifted the consent decree, but the city is still required to continue its work on the sewer system.