Pima County’s wastewater system is one of those essential public services most people rarely think about—until something goes wrong. Yet behind the scenes, an enormous amount of engineering, planning, and innovation keeps our community healthy, our environment protected, and our future water supply secure. In this episode of Inside Pima County, Supervisor Rex Scott sits down with Jackson Jenkins, Director of Pima County’s Regional Wastewater Reclamation Department, to explore the complex world of wastewater treatment, infrastructure, and sustainability.

Jenkins, a Tucson native and University of Arizona–trained metallurgical engineer, didn’t begin his career in public service. He spent more than two decades in the copper mining industry, working with hydrometallurgical processes that mirror many of the biological and chemical syste ...