YMD. Yazoo Mississippi Delta Joint Water Management District

Transcription

1 YMD Yazoo Mississippi Delta Joint Water Management District Water Management Plan Approved by YMD Board of Commissioners January 18, 2006 Approved by MS Commission on Environmental Quality May 25, 2006

2 History Of the YMD Joint Water Management District The Yazoo Mississippi Delta Joint Water Management District (YMD) was formed in 1989 as a direct result of the 1988 drought. The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality issued orders to landowners to stop irrigation withdrawals from Delta streams during the 1988 drought. The drought had dropped stream flows to the minimum allowed by law and at that point all withdrawals for beneficial use must stop. Delta leadership realized that a strictly regulatory approach to managing the Delta s water resources was undesirable. YMD was created to provide local, non-regulatory solutions to the Delta s growing water resource challenges. YMD was formed under state statute section These statutes allowed 17 Delta counties to form the YMD Joint Water Management District. The purpose of joint water management districts is described in as: A joint water management district may be created for the purpose of establishing a water supply system, conserving water resources, developing additional water resources or any other water or wastewater management function not being performed by an existing water management district, except that such a district may not be created for the purpose of constructing, contracting for the construction of or serving as a local sponsor for the construction of, any dam or other flood control facility of project, the primary purpose of which is to control flooding. The YMD charter further describes the District s purpose as: The District shall be created for the purpose of promoting and maintaining water resources conservation, management, and development; establishing and implementing water supply, water quality, and water utilization plans and programs; sponsoring, acquiring, or construction of devices or measures to ensure predictably adequate supplies for domestic, agricultural, commercial and industrial uses; participating in water resources planning and management programs of appropriate state, federal, and local agencies; financing such measures; and such other functions as from time to time may be necessary or appropriate to implement the policies of the District. Mississippi code section states that Any district created pursuant to the provisions of this chapter, acting by and through the board of commissioners of such district as its governing authority, shall have, among others, the following powers;... (o) To adopt a plan for management of the water resources of the district, provided that such plan first be submitted to and approved by the Commission on Natural Resources (now the Commission on Environmental Quality) as consistent with the state water management plan or objectives This document is that plan. It is not the objective of this plan to describe all possible future water plans of the District, only to focus on those issues of the most immediate concern. 2

3 Issues Description of major water resource issues in the Delta YMD has focused on two major water resource issues in the Delta. 1. Balancing water supplies with water demand 2. Improving and protecting surface water quality 1. Balancing water supplies with water demand. Approximately 80 percent of all water use in Mississippi is by agriculture in the Delta. There are about 14,750 groundwater use permits for the alluvial aquifer and 2,250 surface water use permits by agriculture in the Delta. (For further information on water use permitting see Permitting in Appendix V.) Most of the agricultural and fish culture water use is from the Mississippi River alluvial aqui- fer. The large demand on the region s water supplies has resulted in two major problems. Continuing declines in the alluvial aquifer threaten the long term sustainability of the aquifer to support the Delta s agriculture. See Appendix II on Aquifer Overdrafts. Because of the declines in the alluvial aquifer, the alluvial aquifer no longer flows back into the beds of major Delta streams to maintain base flows during extended dry periods when there is no storm or irrigation runoff. Appendix III explains stream base flow problems. 2. Improving and Protecting surface water quality Many Delta streams are included in the MDEQ (d) list of impaired waters. (See Appendix IV on Water Quality ) Nonpoint sources are the primary cause of stream and lake impairment. Common impairments include pathogens, siltation, biological enrichment-low dissolved oxygen, and nutrients from forests, agricultural fields and cities. MDEQ has advised six urban centers in the Delta to begin preparation of Phase II storm water permits. Two other important water resource concerns that will continue to be watched by YMD are groundwater quality and the availability the region s drinking and industrial water supplies. 3

4 Plans YMD Plans and Objectives to Address Issues 1. Stop alluvial aquifer declines by reducing alluvial groundwater withdrawals 300,000 acre feet per year below current use through: (a) voluntary implementation of conservation practices that generally reduce the amount of water used per acre while maintaining or improving productivity and (b) develop new and utilize existing surface water supplies that can replace existing groundwater uses. 3. Participate in the development of a system to promote voluntary implementation of urban and agricultural land and water conservation practices that will reduce nonpoint discharges and improve water quality. 2. Restore base flows by developing renewable groundwater and surface water supplies to be added to streams at times of critical low flows. YMD will also work with MDEQ and other natural resource agencies to establish a new procedure to define needed base flows in Delta streams. 4. Work with cities and counties to assist in the development and implementation of Phase II storm water permits and incorporate those Phase II plans into the larger watershed plans developed by YMD. Many additional details of plans and objectives are presented in the 1995 NRCS Mississippi Delta Comprehensive Water Study (NRCS Delta Study) and is a primary guidance document for projects and goals of interest. This document is available on line on the YMD web page at 4

5 Approaches YMD Approach to Issues 1. Collect and organize information to provide better insight into water use, existing water quality, and water quality standards and how conservation practices reduce agricultural water use and improve runoff water quality. 4. Develop watershed plans for multiple benefits of water supply, water quality, wildlife and drainage. 5. Work closely with land owners and operators. 2. Construct projects that either reduce groundwater use and/or reduce nonpoint discharge of pollutants to receiving streams and lakes. 3. Maintain an effective, accurate water use permit process and database to assist in planning. A more complete description of water use permitting at YMD is located in Appendix V. 6. Coordinate with other local, state and national natural resource agencies including MDEQ, NRCS, USGS, SWCC and Districts, MAFES, MCES, Corps of Engineers, Delta Council, Farm Bureau, Board of Mississippi Levee Commissioners, YMD Levee Board and drainage districts. 7. Educate water users about problems and solutions for our water resources. 5

6 Appendix I The Mississippi River Flood Plain and Alluvi- Text taken with permission from: U.S. Geological Survey Water Resources investigations Report al The Mississippi River alluvial aquifer (hereafter referred to as the alluvial aquifer) in northwestern Mississippi is part of the large aquifer system formed by the Mississippi River and its tributaries that underlies the Mississippi River alluvial plain in parts of six States in the Mississippi embayment. See Figure 1. In northwestern Mississippi, the Mississippi alluvial plain is a lens-shaped area that includes all or part of 19 counties covering about 7,000 square miles. Locally this area is known as the Delta. The Delta extends from the Mississippi-Tennessee border at Memphis, Tennessee, about 200 miles southward to Vicksburg, Mississippi. At the widest point, about midway between Memphis and Vicksburg, the Delta is about 70 miles wide. The western extent of the Delta is the Mississippi River, and the eastern extent is the loess-capped Bluff Hills. The Delta land surface has very little relief, and slopes gently at about 1/2 foot per mile from about 200 feet above sea level at the northern end near Memphis to about 80 feet above sea level near Vicksburg. The river is a hydraulic as well as a physical boundary of the Delta.The Yazoo- Yallobusha-Tallahatchie-Yocona-Coldwater River system drains the eastern part of the Delta and a large upland area to the east of the alluvial plain. The Sunflower-Bogue Phalia River system drains most of the central and western part of the alluvial plain outside of the Mississippi River levee system. All the water drained by the Sunfiower-Bogue Phalia River system originates within the Delta and flows into the Yazoo River just north of Vicksburg. The Delta has many oxbow lakes that store large quantities of water, but the largest of these crescent-shaped lakes are old meanders of the Mississippi River. Five of the largest lakes are Horn Lake in DeSoto County, Moon Lake in Coahoma County, Lake Bolivar in Bolivar County, Lake Washington in Washington County, and Eagle Lake in Warren County. The Bluff Hills escarpment provides an abrupt transition in topography from the alluvial plain by rising 100 to 200 feet above the alluvial plain. The present day Mississippi River channel, which generally follows the western Mississippi State boundary in the Delta, penetrates, in most locations, about the entire thickness of the Mississippi alluvial aquifer. 6

7 Appendix I (continued) The Mississippi River Flood Plain and Alluvial Aquifer The climate in the Delta is humid subtropical. Average annual temperature ranges from 62 degrees Fahrenheit near Memphis to 66 degrees Fahrenheit near Vicksburg. Average annual precipitation in the Delta is about 52 inches with very little spatial variation. Most of the precipitation, about 62 percent, occurs in the winter and spring. The fall season has the least precipitation comprising about 17 percent of the annual total. The Mississippi River alluvial aquifer is the most heavily pumped aquifer in Mississippi and supplies most of the water used for agriculture and industry in the Mississippi Delta. The city of Vicksburg uses the alluvial aquifer as its municipal water source, but the city s annual use is less than 1 percent of the total water pumped from the alluvial aquifer. catfish pond acreage in the Delta. Bolivar, Sunflower, and Washington Counties account for more than half of the rice produced in the Delta. Irrigation of cotton, soybeans, and corn during periods of deficient rainfall also contributes to the demand for water from the alluvial aquifer. About 98 percent of the withdrawal from the alluvial aquifer is for agriculture. The Delta is the economic center for agriculture in Mississippi, producing 99 percent of the rice, 96 percent of the catfish, 79 percent of the soybeans, 72 percent of the cotton and 60 percent of the corn grown in the State. Water required for catfish and rice production accounts for most of the ground-water demand in the Delta. Humphreys, Sunflower, and Leflore Counties contain more than half of the 7

8 Appendix I (continued) The Mississippi River Flood Plain and Alluvial Aquifer HYDROGEOLOGY The Mississippi River alluvial aquifer flow system is a dynamic, rapidly responding flow system. The flow system is probably the most complex of the major aquifers in Mississippi with regard to changes in recharge and natural discharge as a result of fluctuations in hydrologic and climatic conditions. Throughout most of the Delta, the alluvial aquifer s thickness ranges from 120 to 160 feet. The coarsest sediments, consisting of gravel and coarse sand, generally occur at or near the base of the alluvium and tend to be thicker where the alluvium is thickest. The finer clay, silt, and sand sediments generally occur in the upper part of the alluvium, but these sediments can occur to varying degrees throughout the entire thickness of the alluvium. The sand and gravel that form the alluvial aquifer average about 110 feet in thickness. The aquifer is generally thickest in the central part of the alluvial plain and thinnest adjacent to the Bluff Hills and in west-central Washington County. The Mississippi River alluvial aquifer in northwestern Mississippi functions as an independent system from the Mississippi River alluvial aquifer west of the Mississippi River in Arkansas and Louisiana. In most locations, the present day Mississippi River channel penetrates nearly the entire thickness of the alluvium and serves as a hydraulic boundary that separates flow in the alluvial aquifer east of the river from flow in the alluvial aquifer west of the river. Pumping from the Mississippi River alluvial aquifer on the western side of the river has no effect on the alluvial aquifer in Mississippi. The Mississippi River, the western flow boundary, serves as a variable-head hydraulic barrier and both a recharge source and discharge area for the alluvial aquifer. When the Mississippi River is at a high stage, water flows from the river into the aquifer; conversely, when the river is at a low stage, water flows from the aquifer to the river. The stage of the Mississippi River can vary as much as 50 feet from extreme flood to severe drought conditions. As a result, the alluvial aquifer water levels adjacent to the river are buffered within this range of river-stage changes, and the aquifer is recharged and drained locally by the Mississippi River seasonally. However, because of the cyclic recharging and draining of the aquifer adjacent to the river, the net long-term contribution to ground water from the river is probably small compared to the other recharge sources. 8

9 Appendix I (continued) The Mississippi River Flood Plain and Alluvial Aquifer The eastern flow boundary of the Mississippi River alluvial aquifer occurs at the western edge of the loess-capped Bluff Hills. The western edge of the Bluff Hills marks the eastern extent of the Mississippi River alluvial plain and the alluvial aquifer. The Mississippi River valley is incised into the underlying Tertiary-age deposits along the eastern edge of the Delta adjacent to the Bluff Hills. At the eastern edge of the Delta, there is contact between the alluvial aquifer and the Cockfield and Sparta aquifers, and a substantial upward hydraulic gradient between the Tertiary aquifers and the alluvial aquifer produces a correspondingly large lateral and upward flow into the alluvial aquifer. The water-bearing units underlying the western edge of the Bluff Hills are a major recharge source for the Mississippi River alluvial aquifer. The upper boundary of the alluvial aquifer is the low permeability top stratum, which is present over about 99 percent of the Delta. The top stratum consists of interbedded clay, silt, and sand. Where present, the top stratum impedes vertical recharge of water into the alluvial aquifer from precipitation and from surface-water bodies (rivers, lakes, ponds, and agricultural applications). About 20 inches of the annual precipitation is runoff leaving about 32 inches for evaporation, transpiration by vegetation, and replenishment of the ground-water reservoir. Usually only about 5 percent of the total rainfall (about 2.6 inches) replenishes the groundwater reservoir. The lower flow boundary of the Mississippi River alluvial aquifer is the contact between the underlying Tertiary-age deposits and the alluvial aquifer. The Sparta Sand and Cockfield Formation underlie most of the alluvial aquifer in the Delta. In these areas, flow between the alluvial aquifer and the two underlying aquifers is probable. The most likely area for flow upward into the alluvial aquifer is near the eastern edge of the Delta where water levels in the underlying aquifers are higher than in other parts of the Delta. The most likely area for flow from the alluvial aquifer downward into the underlying unit is in the western part of the Delta where the Cockfield Formation underlies the alluvial aquifer and where heads in the Cockfield aquifer are lower than the heads in the alluvial aquifer. In areas where the Yazoo Clay, Zilpha Clay, and Cook Mountain Formation underlie the alluvial aquifer, the low permeability characteristics of these deposits impede vertical flow. In recent times, net recharge at the lower boundary is probably small, but could be important locally where the alluvium is in direct contact with the underlying water-bearing sand beds, and where the water level in the alluvial aquifer is lower than the water level in the underlying aquifer. 9

10 C e r e l f r r e w o L LS figure 1 Alluvial aquifer location in Northwest Mississippi Delta Hernando Desoto Arkabutla Lake Tunica Tunica Senatobia Sardis Tate Sardis Lake Mississippi Coahoma Clarksdale Marks Quitman Y o c o n a R i v e r Panola Charleston Enid Lake la T a l ie i v e ha t ch R r Tallahatchie Grenada Lake Cleveland Y a l o b u s h a Grenada R i v e r Grenada e Bolivar Greenville B o g u e P h a l i a Sunflower Indianola S u v R i n Leflore Greenwood Carrolton Carroll Washington D e e r k Belzoni Humphreys Lexington Mayersville Rolling Fork a Yazoo City r Sharkey z o o R i v e Holmes Yazoo Y E F H I R i v e r Issaquena D G E O F B L U F B i g B l a c k W E T E R S N Vicksburg Warren Scale (Miles) 10 Figure 1. Location of alluvial aquifer in Northwestern Mississippi.

11 Appendix II Alluvial aquifer overdraft The number of irrigation wells in the alluvial aquifer began to increase markedly in the 1970 s. Water level declines in some wells were noticed by the late 1970 s. In 1980, the US Geological Survey set up a network of irrigation wells that is still used to monitor changes in the water levels of the alluvial aquifer. Today YMD manages that well network and measures the water levels in about 550 wells every April and October. YMD considers this survey data to be one of our most important sets of information. Figure 2 shows the location of the monitored wells at the time of this document writing. Each year the water levels in the wells are measured and compared to the water levels from that well in previous years. The changes in those water levels are used to determine the pattern and magnitude of any changes in aquifer water levels. Figure 3 shows the 10 year alluvial aquifer water level changes from the fall of 1994 to the fall of Figure 4 shows the water level data from a series of individual wells representative of those across the Delta. In most wells, water levels are lowest in October at the end of the irrigation season. Water levels come up from summer low levels during the winter due to natural recharge into the aquifer. Generally, we see that water levels in the center of the Delta have shown a steady long term decline. Some of the Central Delta areas have experienced relatively steady declines in the range of 0.75 ft per year. Near the Mississippi River on the west and the Loess Hills on the east side of the Delta, water levels fluctuate up or down depending on the recent stages of the Mississippi River (Figure 4 Ms River Well Number A020) or local storm flows in the many small streams coming out of the hills into the Delta (Figure 4, Well G057). The Mississippi River, Delta-hill streams and the Sparta-Wilcox aquifers appear to be major sources of recharge of the alluvial aquifer. Water enters the alluvial aquifer on the edges of the Delta and flows toward the central Delta. Water pumped from wells near the edge of the Delta would have flowed to the central Delta if it had been left in the aquifer. This interception of water near the Delta s edges contributes to the overall aquifer decline even though water levels near the edges of the Delta are generally not declining. Water withdrawn from any point in the alluvial aquifer contributes to the overall loss in total water stored in the aquifer and to the more localized water level declines. Information from the US Geological Survey (2001, USGS WRIR ) indicates that groundwater withdrawals from the alluvial aquifer exceed natural recharge by about 300,000 acre feet per year. 11

12 F H I Figure 2 Water level survey well locations Delta Hernando Desoto Tunica Tunica Senatobia Sardis Tate Mississippi Clarksdale Coahoma Marks Quitman Panola Charleston Tallahatchie Cleveland Grenada Grenada Bolivar Greenville Sunflower Indianola Greenwood Leflore Carrolton Carroll Washington Belzoni Humphreys Lexington Mayersville Rolling Fork Yazoo City Holmes Sharkey LS Yazoo L Issaquena WE TE R N S Vicksburg Warren D E E G O F B L UF Scale (Miles) 12 Figure 2. Wells used in water level monitoring surveys.

13 Figure 3 10 year alluvial aquifer changes Legend (ft) Desoto Tunica N028 Tate Panola A020 Coahoma Quitman C010 Tallahatchie Grenada Bolivar Leflore Sunflower G057 Carroll Washington Humphreys L066 Holmes Sharkey Yazoo Issaquena Warren Scale (Miles) Figure 3. Ten year declines in fall 1994 to fall 2004 water levels of the alluvial aquifer. 13

14 Figure 4 Water level data from individual wells Water Level Elevation (MSL) Bolivar - A020 Water Level Elevation (MSL) Carroll - G057 Aug-80 Jan-86 Jul-91 Jan-97 Jun-02 Jun-91 Feb-94 Nov-96 Aug-99 May-02 Feb-05 Water Level Elevation (MSL) Humphreys - L Mar-84 Aug-89 Feb-95 Aug-00 Jan-06 Water Level Elevation (MSL) Sunflow er - C Aug-81 Jan-87 Jul-92 Jan-98 Jun Tunica - N028 Water Level Elevation (MSL) Mar-81 Aug-86 Feb-92 Aug-97 Jan-03 Figure 4. Typical water level change patterns of four representative wells from the alluvial aquifer water level survey. 14

15 Appendix III Low Flows The channels of the larger rivers of the Delta cut down into the top of the alluvial aquifer. Prior to the lowering of water levels in the aquifer, water would flow from the aquifer back into the rivers during dry periods in the summer and fall (See Figure 5) helping to maintain the baseflow of the rivers. As water levels in the aquifer began to drop, the dry season stream flows also began to decline because less water was flowing from the aquifer into the streams. Figure 6 is a graph showing the lowest flow recorded each year from 1960 to 2004 for the Sunflower River at the Town of Sunflower. Prior to 1975, flows did not drop below 100 to 125 cubic feet per second (cfs). Beginning in about 1975, the lowest annual flow began to decrease each year until about 1990 when the base flow leveled off at about 10 to 20 cfs. The loss of this base flow is generally attributed to the declines in the alluvial aquifer to the point that since about 1990, there does not appear to be any flow returning from the alluvial aquifer into the Sunflower River above Hwy 82 during dry periods in the fall (Figure 5). Figure 5 The Mississippi River Alluvial Aquifer Figure 7 shows the daily flow for the Sunflower River at the Town of Sunflower for Flows are high during the cool wet winter months, declining to a relatively low level in May and June followed by a gradual increase during the summer. Flows are maintained during the summer months of June through mid September by irrigation runoff. When irrigation ends in mid-september, flows drop to their lowest levels until cool wet weather arrives in November. This seasonal flow is repeated every year with minor variations based on weather and irrigation schedules. YMD s efforts to maintain Sunflower River base flows are limited to the extremely low flows during the fall of each year. Additions of water from wells or water stored in lakes located on the upper reaches of the Sunflower River are used to maintain base flows. Photographs in Figure 8 show the Sunflower River near the Sunflower Coahoma County line at a noflow-added condition and also at a flow of about 30 cfs. Sunflower River Sunflower River Flow from aquifer into River Min of 100 cfs Loss of flow from aquifer Min of 10 cfs Aquifer before 1975 Aquifer today Figure 5. Historic and current relationship between deep Delta channels and the alluvial aquifer. 15

16 Figure 6 Sunflower River Flows Sunflower at Sunflower Minimum Flows Figure 6. Historic minimum flow recorded on the Sunflower River at the town of Sunflower. Source: USGS cfs Year Figure 7 Sunflower River Daily Flow Sunflower River at Sunflower 20 Figure daily flow of the Sunflower River at the town of Sunflower. Source: USGS Stage (feet) Katrina Rita 0 1/1/05 2/20/05 4/11/05 5/31/05 7/20/05 9/8/05 10/28/05 12/17/05 2/5/

17 Figure 8 Sunflower River Daily Flow Figure 8. The Sunflower River under lowest flow conditions (top) and at a flow of about 30 cfs (bottom). 17

18 Appendix IV Water Quality Stream or lake water quality can be impaired by runoff from agricultural and forest lands, runoff from city streets and parking lots (collectively called nonpoint sources of pollution) and/or from direct discharge from manufacturing, industrial, or municipal wastewater facilities (referred to as point sources of pollution). Current assessments nation-wide and in the Delta indicate that non-point pollution sources are the major source of water quality problems with smaller but significant problems created by point sources. The primary non-point source pollutants in the Delta are sediment, nutrients, and organic enrichment. Point source discharge problems are primarily bacteria and organic enrichment. A water quality problem is generally defined as when the water quality of a water body is too poor to support the designated uses of that water. All Delta lakes and streams have designated uses of aquatic life support. Some also have a secondary designated use of human contact by swimming, boating and fishing. The federal Clean Water Act describes several regulatory requirements of states to maintain or improve the state s water quality. One requirement, included in section 303(d), requires the State to create a list of all streams and lakes (referred to as the 303(d) list) that have water quality problems. The state is also required to develop a document called a TMDL that describes the problems for each water body on the 303(d) list and how the problem can be solved. Mississippi s Section 303(d) List of Impaired Water Bodies identifies and establishes a priority ranking for listed waters, considering the severity of the pollution and the designated uses of the water bodies. EPA approved the 2004 Section 303(d) List of Impaired Water Bodies in May of Figure 9 shows the Delta water bodies currently on this list. Streams are listed as either monitored or evaluated. Data exist for monitored streams but evaluated streams can be listed based on anecdotal evidence. No presumption of impairment arises due to a segment s listing as evaluated for permitting purposes. This means that MDEQ will not deny a discharge permit based solely on a stream s evaluated status. MDEQ will determine whether an evaluated segment should have additional water quality modeling or monitoring before they issue any permit for discharge. Many Delta streams have Phase One TMDLs, which indicate that there is not enough information or data available to make a complete decision. The 2004 report lists 164 TMDLs approved by EPA for the Yazoo Basin. MDEQ will use their Basins approach to collect data to develop the next phase of these TMDLs. Taken from: MDEQ Surface Water Division of the Office of Pollution Control, 2004, Mississippi 2004 Section 303(d) list of impaired waterbodies available on line at TWB_Total_Maximum_Daily_Load_Section? OpenDocument#303 18

19 H S Figure 9 Streams on 303d list of Impaired streams Red = evaluated streams and lakes Blue = monitored streams and lakes Hernando Desoto Tunica Tunica Senatobia Sardis Tate Coahoma Clarksdale Marks Quitman Panola Charleston Tallahatchie Cleveland Grenada Grenada Bolivar Greenville Sunflower Indianola Leflore Greenwood Carrolton Carroll Washington Belzoni Humphreys Lexington Mayersville Rolling Fork Yazoo City Holmes Sharkey Yazoo I L L Issaquena E D G E O F B L U F F WE T E N S R Vicksburg Warren Scale (Miles) Figure 9. Streams and lakes of Northwest Mississippi included on the 2004 Mississippi 303(d) report of impaired streams. 19

20 Appendix V Water Use Permitting Mississippi statute states All water, whether occurring on the surface of the ground or underneath the surface of the ground, is hereby declared to be among the basic resources of this state to therefore belong to the people of this state and is subject to regulation in accordance with the provisions of this chapter. Section (1) states No person who is not specifically exempted by this chapter shall use water without having first obtained a permit (from the State Permit Board). Water use permits are required for all wells with a surface casing of 6 inches in diameter or larger and all use of surface water. Included in the statutes is the requirement that a water use permit may be issued for no more than 10 years. At the end of the 10 year permit, the water use must be reviewed and a new permit will be issued unless the continued water use is found to be contrary to the public interest. The water use permitting began in 1985 as a result of new legislation that year. The permitting process was originally carried out by the Office of Land and Water Resources in MDEQ. YMD began receiving, processing and reviewing agricultural water use permits from the Delta in Approximately 80% of all water use permits for Mississippi are located in the Delta and most are from the alluvial aquifer. Figure 10 shows the Statewide distribution of water use permits. There are approximately 14,750 groundwater and 2,250 surface water permits for irrigation and aquaculture in the Delta. Permitting regulations, updated in 2004, require that driller s logs for alluvial aquifer wells are to be sent to both MDEQ and YMD. YMD uses the information included on the driller s log to initiate a new water use permit or modification of an existing permit if the new well is replacing an old failing well. This new procedure makes permitting easier and more efficient for both the permittee and YMD staff. YMD uses the information included in water use applications and permits to support water conservation programs and to assist in the planning and design of water construction projects. 20

21 Figure 10 Water Use Permitting Figure 10. Statewide water use permits. 21

22 22 Yazoo Mississippi Delta Joint Water Management District P. O. Box 129 Stoneville, MS (662)