The Jacksonville Sewer Commission is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the City's municipal sewerage system, including the City's two wastewater treatment plants, the Dr. J. Albert Johnson Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant and the West Wastewater Treatment Plant.

      The Johnson Plant was constructed in 1985-88 and was intended to replace the West and East Treatment Plants and to serve as Jacksonville's only municipal wastewater treatment plant. The East Plant has since been closed, and the West Plant flow is currently being diverted to the Johnson Plant except during high flow periods, and will be closed by April 1, 2001. Treatment and discharge operations at the Johnson Plant are authorized by federal (Environmental Protection Agency) and state (Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality) regulatory agencies. The facility disposes solids in an on-site sludge monofil permitted by the ADEQ. The receiving stream for the Johnson Plant effluent is the Bayou Meto.

      The Jacksonville municipal sewer system includes approximately 650,000 linear feet of gravity sewer lines from 6" to 42" in size with approximately 3500 manholes. The earliest construction of the system dates back about 60 years. The system also includes 14 pump stations ranging in capacity from 90 to 2,330 gpm. There are no combined sewers in the system.

      The system also provides treatment for wastewater discharged from the Little Rock Air Force Base. The LRAFB system includes approximately 80,000 linear feet of gravity lines and 323 manholes.

      The Jacksonville Wastewater Utility consists of five departments: Treatment, Collection System, Technical Services, Laboratory, and Administration. The Utility employs 37 people in these areas of expertise.