Problems with a sewer lift station on Paxton Road have forced the Vicksburg Board of Mayor and Aldermen to declare an emergency to repair the pump and get the station functioning.

The board approved the emergency declaration on Wednesday. Declaring the emergency allows the city to hire a contractor without having to go through the bid process, which may delay repairs to the station.

Public Works Director Garnet Van Norman said the machinery in the station, which was installed in the 1970s, “Is worn out; all the concrete is broken on the bottom of it. We just found out about the problem.”

He said the parts are available to repair the station, but the city does not have the ability to repair the concrete around the pump and will have to hire a contractor to repair the concrete, “and then we can get it put back together.”

The lift station is used to help move sewage to the city’s wastewater treatment plant on Rifle Range Road. Van Norman said the station serves the Vicksburg Housing Authority property on Paxton Road. He said the city is presently bypassing the station until it can be repaired.