Blossom Apartments managing partner responds to ongoing water disconnection 

Thirty families at Blossom Apartments LLC, including 12 single-person senior households, are entering their fifth day without water service in 100°F heat with a 110°F heat index after JXN Water’s federal administrator Ted Henifin cut off service over billing disputes totaling $408,000 that technical evidence proves are physically impossible.

The crisis began when Tony Little, managing partner of Blossom Apartments LLC, requested corrected billing in his company’s name (rather than the previous owner “LP Woodbine Road Partner”) to secure lending for payment. Instead of cooperation, JXN Water immediately disconnected service on July 23, 2025, in what Little calls a retaliatory action that violates federal receivership mandates for equitable service.

Technical Analysis Proves Bills Are Physically Impossible

At the center of the dispute is water meter #21385606, a Kamstrup flowIQ 3250 ultrasonic meter with documented specifications showing it cannot handle the billed water volumes without catastrophic failure. According to the manufacturer’s data sheet, the 2-inch meter has a maximum continuous flow of 160 gallons per minute (GPM).
However, JXN Water’s bills claim usage requiring flows 6 to 774 times higher than this limit:
• December 2022-January 2023: 8,827,861 CCF (6.6 billion gallons over 37 days), requiring 123,935 GPM continuous flow
• Every billing period analyzed: Exceeds meter capacity by 6-774 times
• Current occupancy: Just 30 families with reasonable daily usage of ~2,160 gallons total
“It’s like claiming a garden hose carried the entire Mississippi River,” Little explained. “The meter would burst from hydraulic shock, but there’s no evidence of damage because these flows never happened. This is system error, not real water usage.”

Vulnerable Population Bears the Brunt

The 56-unit complex has been operating at reduced capacity since a 10-inch high-pressure waterline burst 14 months ago left 16 units permanently offline. Two additional units remain vacant due to infrastructure damage that has made the property unappealing to new tenants, leaving just 30 families—many of them seniors living alone.

“For five days, seniors have rationed drinking water from neighbors, children cannot bathe in this sweltering heat, and families use buckets for basic sanitation,” Little stated. “We’re trapped like a cat on a hot tin roof—caught between federal authority that won’t listen and local officials who have no jurisdiction to intervene.”

The complex serves residents in a census tract with 62% poverty rates, where many struggle with the confusing CCF (hundred cubic feet) billing system rather than simple gallon measurements.

Federal Receivership Under Scrutiny

JXN Water has operated under federal receivership since 2022, with Ted Henifin appointed by U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate to reform the troubled utility. However, the system’s rollout of 43,000 new meters has been plagued by technical problems, including:
• Radio communication failures causing “data dumps” that inflate bills
• Mass billing corrections issued in 2023 after widespread errors
• Over 1,000 similar complaints from Jackson residents

“Ted Henifin knows these meters are faulty—his own reports document the problems,” Little said. “Yet he’s using vulnerable families as human shields to extract payment on impossible charges that violate the very principles of equity his receivership was meant to establish.”

Calls for Emergency Intervention

Little has appealed directly to Judge Wingate and multiple oversight agencies, including the Mississippi Public Service Commission, EPA, and state Attorney General’s office, requesting:
• Immediate water restoration during billing dispute resolution
• Independent audit of the faulty meter
• Corrected billing in proper company name
• Refunds for all erroneous charges

“Emergency restoration during billing disputes is standard practice nationwide,” Little noted. “In 110°F heat with vulnerable seniors, this constitutes a public health emergency requiring immediate action regardless of payment disputes.”

Background on the Crisis

Blossom Apartments LLC was acquired by Little in August 2018, but JXN Water continued billing under the previous owner’s name despite multiple correction requests. The property has faced ongoing challenges from Jackson’s crumbling infrastructure, including the waterline burst that rendered 16 units uninhabitable and left a “death trap” roadway that the near-bankrupt city cannot afford to repair.

The case highlights broader systemic issues with Jackson’s water system, which serves a city where nearly 25% of residents live in poverty and many lack the technical knowledge to challenge complex billing errors.

Contact Information:
Tony Little, Managing Partner
Blossom Apartments LLC

Kindest Regards, Tony Little