Surface Water Importation and Delivery Systems ______
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Chapter 2: Surface Water Importation and Delivery Systems ___________________________________________________________ Table of Contents Abstract_____________________________________________________________________________4 Plan Summary __________________________________________________________________4 Section 1: Formulation and Comparison of Alternatives ____________________________________6 No Action________________________________________________________________________6 Actions __________________________________________________________________________6 Action 1: Investigate Potential Water Sources____________________________________________6 Use the Mississippi River as a water source. _____________________________________________6 Use the Yazoo River System as a water source. __________________________________________6 Use the existing rivers and streams as a water source.______________________________________7 Use of a well field close to the Main Line Mississippi River Levee as a water source _____________7 Action 2: Develop a surface water importation and delivery system to get the water to on-farm delivery points.____________________________________________________________________7 Bolivar County: Water from the Mississippi River was pumped into the Bogue Phalia. ___________7 Sunflower County: Pump water from the Mississippi River into the Sunflower. ________________11 Alternate Sunflower and Leflore Counties: Bring water from the Tallahatchie River into the Quiver.13 Humphreys County: Pump water from the Mississippi River into the Sunflower River. __________15 Section 2: Environmental Impacts _____________________________________________________18 Effects of Action 1: Investigate Potential Water Sources ____________________________________18 Use the Mississippi River as a water source ____________________________________________18 Use the Coldwater, Tallahatchie, Yazoo River System as a water source ______________________18 Use the existing rivers and streams as a water source _____________________________________18 Use of a well field close to the Mississippi River levee as a water source______________________18 Effects of Action 2: Develop a surface water importation and delivery system to get the water to on- farm delivery points. ______________________________________________________________19 Bolivar County: Water from the Mississippi River is pumped into the Bogue Phalia. ____________19 Sunflower County: Pump water from the Mississippi River into the Sunflower River for use in Sunflower County. ________________________________________________________________19 Alternate Sunflower County: Bring water from the Tallahatchie River into the Quiver River for use in Sunflower and Leflore Counties. _____________________________________________________19 Humphreys County: Pump water from the Mississippi River into the Sunflower River. __________20 Benefit to Cost Considerations_______________________________________________________20 Effects of Alternative Plans _________________________________________________________20 References Cited ___________________________________________________________________22 Appendix A: Bolivar County On-Farm Delivery Systems__________________________________23 Appendix B: Sunflower County On-Farm Delivery Systems _______________________________24 Appendix C: Study Area 5 On-Farm Delivery Systems____________________________________25 Page 2 of 25 List of Tables Table 1: Monthly flow values for the Yazoo River at Greenwood, Mississippi.______________________7 Table 2: Acres and volume supplied by on-farm delivery system for Bolivar County._________________8 Table 3: Construction for Bolivar County with Mississippi River as water source. __________________10 Table 4: Construction for Bolivar County with a series of well fields as a water source. ______________10 Table 5: Acres and volume supplied by on-farm delivery system for Sunflower County. _____________11 Table 6: Construction for Sunflower County, Sunflower County.________________________________11 Table 7: Importation system to move water from the Mississippi River to Area 3 and Area 5. _________12 Table 8: Importation system to move water from well fields to the Sunflower River. ________________12 Table 9: Importation system to move water from the Tallahatchie River to the Quiver._______________13 Table 10: Acres and volume supplied by on-farm delivery system for Humphreys County. ___________15 Table 11: Construction for Humphreys County. _____________________________________________16 Table 12: Acres supplied by underground lines & pumps in Bolivar County. ______________________23 Table 13: Acres supplied by underground lines & pumps in Sunflower County. ____________________24 Table 14: Acres supplied by underground lines & pumps in Study Area 5. ________________________25 List of Figures Figure 1: Mississippi Delta with study areas delineated. ________________________________________5 Figure 2: Bolivar County, Bogue Phalia surface water delivery system.____________________________9 Figure 3: Sunflower County, Sunflower River surface water delivery system ______________________14 Figure 4: Sunflower River, Humphreys, Washington Counties, surface water delivery system _________17 Page 3 of 25 Abstract The USDA NRCS Mississippi Delta Comprehensive, Multipurpose Water Resource Plan, Study Phase was initiated in 1993 in response to leadership concerns about the viability of agricultural industry and maintenance of water quality in light of decreasing water supplies, both groundwater and surface water. The request to determine the feasibility of stabilizing the groundwater levels in the Mississippi River Alluvial Aquifer (Aquifer) came from the YMD Joint Water Management District (YMD) and Delta Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD). The Aquifer that supplies water for approximately 13,000 currently used agricultural wells in the Delta, is experiencing long term declines in groundwater levels of approximately 100,000 acre-feet per year. This part of the study proposes that a surface water delivery system be installed to replace groundwater pumping and reduce this overdraft. The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) in cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) developed a groundwater model for the Aquifer in the mid 1980s. The model predicted that continued pumping from the Aquifer would result in significant water level declines at current and projected water use rates.1 Continued analysis of the Aquifer by USGS identified five primary areas of groundwater decline. Areas representing three of these decline locations were Bolivar County on the Bogue Phalia near the town of Shaw, Sunflower County on the Sunflower River, Humphreys and Washington Counties on the Sunflower River and Sunflower and Leflore Counties on the Quiver River. (Figure 1) Groundwater storage decreased 843, 782 and 157 acre feet per square mile in these areas respectively between 1980 and 1994. The potential for increased and accelerated declines in these areas exists due to increases in pumping.2 Plan Summary Actions involve planning the installation of a surface water delivery system potentially consisting of a combination of new canals, current streams and rivers, drainage canals and on-farm underground lines. The goal is to stop the 100,000 acre-feet per year overdraft and additionally to have a positive impact on receiving water quality. Page 4 of 25 Figure 1: Mississippi Delta with study areas delineated. Page 5 of 25 Section 1: Formulation and Comparison of Alternatives No Action A no action alternative provides no method to balance Aquifer withdrawals and inputs, no conservation practices, structural or management, for improved use of existing water sources, no development of new water supplies, and no environmental protection for wildlife, fisheries, or water quality. Major uses of water in the Delta, irrigation, industry, municipal, wildlife and fisheries would continue with no action to stop Alluvial Aquifer overdrafting. However; the potential to permanently harm the Alluvial Aquifer by water mining, which collapses sand and gravel layers exists with a no action option. At first, groundwater costs would increase greatly as the Alluvial Aquifer lost productivity and wells had to be placed at increasingly deeper levels within the aquifer. Eventually, increasing constraints on industrial, municipal, and agricultural development would occur as readily available water supplies dwindled. Wildlife and fisheries habitat would continue to be lost and permitted effluents would fail to be adequately diluted as baseflows in rivers decreased. Actions The actions needed and major tools to be developed to help solve the problems documented in this study include the following. 1. Investigate potential water sources. 2. Develop a surface water importation and delivery system to get the water to on-farm delivery points. 3. Develop typical designs for delivery of water from importation channels to specific fields for irrigation. 4. Develop costs for installation and operation and maintenance. Details of these actions are discussed in the following paragraphs. Action 1: Investigate Potential Water Sources Use the Mississippi River as a water source. The Mississippi River represents a significant if not unlimited water supply on the western side of the Delta. A pumping plant could be constructed between the towns of Friars Point and Delta to supply water to the Big Sunflower River. A second pumping plant could be constructed near Deeson to