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Pascagoula River Basin Status Report 2001

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Neshoba Kemper Lauderdale Scott Newton Smith Clarke Jasper Simpson Covington Jefferson Wayne Davis Jones Forrest Marion Perry Greene PPaassccaaggoouullaa Lamar Pearl George River RRiivveerr BBaassiinn Stone SSttaattuuss Jackson RReeppoorrtt 22000011 Cover Photographs (clockwise, from top left): The background cover photo was taken on the Leaf River at Highway 98 in Greene County. The Leaf River drains the western half of the basin. The upper left cover photo was taken in a hardwood swamp near the Pascagoula River at Merrill. These cypress and tupelo gum swamps provide habitat for a number of wildlife species. The upper right cover illustration depicts the boundary of the Pascagoula River Basin, as well as county lines, major roads, and major streams and lakes in the basin. The lower right cover photo was taken on Black Creek in southern Forrest County. Black Creek is the only federally designated Wild and Scenic Stream in the state. The lower left cover photo was taken on Bowie Creek in Covington County. Many of the streams in the basin are used for recreational purposes. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This document is a product of the Pascagoula River Basin Team, which consists of representatives from twenty- six state and federal agencies, and was developed under the leadership of the Basin Management Approach staff of the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ). The Pascagoula River Basin Team consists of the following resource agency partners: State of Mississippi Agencies Agriculture and Commerce (MDAC) Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station (MAFES) Bureau of Plant Industry (MDAC/BPI) Development Authority (MDA) Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) Environmental Quality (MDEQ) Forestry Commission (MFC) Health (MSDH) Marine Resources (MDMR) Mississippi – Alabama Sea Grant Consortium (MASGC) MSU Extension Service (MSU/ES) Pat Harrison Waterway District (PHWD) Soil & Water Conservation Commission (MSWCC) Transportation (MDOT) University of Southern Mississippi (USM) University of Southern Mississippi, College of Marine Science, Gulf Coast Research Lab (GCRL) Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks, Museum of Natural Science (MMNS) Water Resource Research Institute (MWRRI) United States Government Agencies Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District (USACOE) Agricultural Research Service, National Sedimentation Lab (USDA/ARS/NSL) Environmental Protection Agency, Gulf of Mexico Program (EPA/GOMP) Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4 (EPA/R4) Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Forest Service (USDA/USFS) Geological Survey (USGS) Natural Resource Conservation Service (USDA/NRCS) Copies of this report may be obtained by contacting: Jackie Key Pascagoula River Basin Coordinator Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality P.O. Box 10385 Jackson, MS 39289-0385 (601) 961-5057 [email protected] or by visiting MDEQ’s web site http://www.deq.state.ms.us i ii TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION . 1 What Is The Pascagoula River Basin Status Report? ………………………….…………… 1 What’s Inside? ……………………………………………………………………..…………… 1 Who Should Read This Document? ………………………………………………..………... 2 How Is The Status Report Related To Other Basin Planning Activities? …………..….…. 2 PASCAGOULA RIVER BASIN DESCRIPTION . 3 Where Is The Pascagoula River Basin? ……………………………………………………… 3 What Are The Characteristics Of The Basin’s Land Surface? …………………………….. 3 What Are The Water Resources In The Basin? …………………..………………………… 4 What Are The Biological Features………………………………………..…………..……… 5 How Important Is Ground Water? …………………………………………………..……… 5 Where Do People Live In The Basin? ……………………………………………………….. 6 How Are Lands Used In The Basin? ………………………………………………………… 7 How Do These Land Uses Impact Water Quality? ………………………………………… 7 ASSESSMENT OF RESOURCES . 14 What Are Water Resource Assessments And How Are They Used? ………………….... 14 What Are The Main Assessment Reports In The State? ……………….………………….. 15 What Are The Assessments Based Upon? ………………………………………………..… 17 What Are The Findings Of These Assessments? ……………………………………….….. 18 What Are The Main Pollutants Of Concern In The Basin? ……………………………….. 18 WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT IN THE PASCAGOULA RIVER BASIN . 22 What Programs Are Working To Improve Water Quality? ……………………………… 22 State-Administered Regulatory Programs ………………………………………………… 22 Federally-Administered Regulatory Programs………………………………………….… 23 State-Administered Management/Assistance Programs ………………………………… 23 Federally-Administered Management/Assistance Programs ………………………..…. 25 Basin-Specific Agencies and Management Programs That Address Water Quality ………………………………………………………….….. 27 Identifying, Evaluating, and Addressing Issues of Concern Through the Basin Management Approach ……………………………….………..….. 28 What Can You Do To Help? …………………………………………………………..……. 29 Who Can You Contact To Learn More? …………………………………………………… 29 iii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Basin Management Groups under the Mississippi Basin Approach to Water Quality Management (MDEQ).........................................................................1 Figure 2. Basin Management Cycle (MDEQ)..................................................................................2 Figure 3. Pascagoula River Basin (MDEQ)......................................................................................3 Figure 4. Sub-basins of the Pascagoula River Basin (MDEQ).......................................................4 Figure 5. Number and Locations of Public Water Supply Wells in the Pascagoula River Basin (MDEQ 1999) ..................................................................6 Figure 6. Population by County (US Census Bureau)...................................................................6 Figure 7. Population Trends 1970 to 2000 (US Census Bureau)...................................................6 Figure 8. Major Land Cover in the Pascagoula River Basin (MARIS).........................................7 Figure 9. Distribution of Land Cover in the Pascagoula River Basin (MARIS) .........................8 Figure 10. Acres of Row Crop Production by County (USDA 1997).............................................8 Figure 11. Number of Livestock Operations by County (USDA 1997) .........................................9 Figure 12. Number of Mining Operations by County (MDEQ 2001)............................................10 Figure 13. Number of Permitted Industrial Sewage Dischargers by County (MDEQ 2001) ....................................................................................................11 Figure 14. Number of Permitted Municipal Sewage Dischargers by County (MDEQ 1999).....................................................................................................11 Figure 15. Number of Hazardous Waste Sites by County (MDEQ 1999).....................................12 Figure 16. Number of Hazardous Waste Generators by County (MDEQ 2001)..........................13 Figure 17. Aquatic Life Use Support Map (MDEQ 2000)................................................................15 Figure 18. Recreation Use Support Map (MDEQ 2000)...................................................................16 iv INTRODUCTION What Is The Pascagoula River Basin Basin Groups and Cycle Year Status Report? Year Group Basin Started Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality I Big Black , Tombigbee, and 1998 (MDEQ) manages its water programs on a Tennessee River Basins basinwide scale and has established a process that II Yazoo River and North 1999 coordinates the water assessment and management activities of numerous state and federal agencies. Independent Streams Basins, and adjacent tributaries of the This process, the Mississippi Basin Approach to Water Quality Management, will culminate with the Mississippi River development of basin management plans for each of III Pearl River and South 2000 Mississippi’s major river basins (Figure 1). The Independent Streams Basins, development of each of the basin management plans and adjacent tributaries of the will be carried out in five successive phases, Mississippi referred to as the Basin Management Cycle — IV Pascagoula River Basin 2001 Planning, Data Gathering, Data Evaluation, V Coastal Streams Basin 2002 Management Plan Development, and Implementation (Figure 2). An early activity under What’s Inside? the planning phase of the Basin Management Cycle is the preparation of a Basin Status Report. This After this introduction, the report is divided into document provides an overview of the Pascagoula three major sections. Each section builds on the River Basin, describes the basin’s current water previous one to explain the condition of water quality conditions, and identifies current assessment resources within the Pascagoula River Basin. and management activities within the basin. The first section provides an overall description of II I the basin and its major features, including hydrology, land use characteristics, and biological features. II I Group 1 II Group 2 I The second section summarizes how water quality III Group 3 in Mississippi is assessed and describes the current IV Group 4 I data collection efforts and research programs that V Group 5 are occurring within the basin. The status of the water quality conditions in the basin for ground III water and surface water is reviewed. Additionally, this section identifies some of the activities that may IV III affect water quality in the basin. Management needs that have been identified and future steps in the basin management cycle are also discussed. V The third
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