What To Do About the Mississippi Delta

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What To Do About the Mississippi Delta?
Jamie Crawford Mississippi DEQ
AL Water Resources Conference September 10, 2009
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When do hydrology, politics, socio-economics,
egos, history, culture, and basic common sense
clash?
When you are addressing water resource
management. . .
. . . especially in the region referred to as the
Mississippi Delta.
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Mississippi Delta

• Mississippi River alluvial plain
• 7,000 square mile area
• Memphis to Vicksburg
• The principal ag area of Mississippi
• Flat topography
• Fertile soils
• Abundant water resources

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lt 300,000 acres
King Cotton
gt 1.0 M acres
gt 1.0 M acres
gt 500,000 acres
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Present Delta Acreage

• 2,000,000 irrigated acres
• 66 of available farm land
  already being irrigated.
• 75,000 acres catfish ponds
• 225,000 acres of rice

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Mississippi River Valley Alluvial Aquifer

• Average depth of 140 feet below land surface.
• Well depths 100 120 feet.
• Supplies 95 of Delta water supply.

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Ground Water Use in Mississippi

• 2.18 billion gallons per day (BGD)
• 14 - Public Water Supply
• 15 - Aqua Culture
• 60 - Irrigation
• 11 - Other
• 1.5 BGD pumped in the Delta

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Water Level Declines
Up to 30 Feet in some areas
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Results of Declining Water Levels in MRVA

• Decrease in saturated thickness of the aquifer.
• Added costs to well owners associated with
  developing deeper wells lifting water greater
  distances with less efficient wells.
• Severance of connection
  between the aquifer and
  certain reaches of some
  Delta
  streams.

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Growing Concerns

• Ensuring sustainability of MRVA for future use.
• Preventing Arkansas-type situation from
  developing in the Delta.
• Maintaining deeper aquifers for
  drinking water use.

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Mississippis 1985 Water Law(Miss. Code Ann.
Title 51, Chapter 3)

• HB 762 assigned water management
  and regulatory responsibilities to MDEQ
• Declared all resources to be waters of the State
• Mandated the permitting of large-capacity wells
  and
• Established the criteria for designation of
  water-use warning / caution areas.

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Permitted Wells in Mississippi
22,550 total permits issued
14,260 Delta irrigation wells 2,150 Delta
fish culture wells
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So Where Are We?

• The aquifer is being pumped at a rate that
  appears to be unsustainable.
• Projections are that some areas may
  experience notable water level issues
  in the next 5 to 10 years.
• Continuing to issue new permits.
• No incentive to use less water (free
  water and low energy cost)

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Assessing The Situation In The Delta
Einsteins definition of insanity . . . When you
keep doing the same thing over and over expecting
different results.
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First Steps

• Educate regulated community and Delta leadership
  on the groundwater problem.
• Solicit input on possible solutions.
• Initiate efforts to develop an effective
  management plan.
• Achieve buy-in to management plan.

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Yazoo Mississippi Delta Joint Water Management
District

• YMD was formed (1989) to address water resource
  issues in the Delta.
• YMD is working on development of a Delta water
  management plan with input from MDEQ.
• The goal is to have a water management plan
  adopted by the MDEQ Commission by the first
  quarter of 2010.

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Water Management Plan

• Implementation of water conservation practices
• Physical component
• Moving dirt
• Installation of piping and delivery systems
• Management component
• Water meters, timers, etc.
• Software
• More direct farmer involvement (day-to-day)
• Funding EQIP funds

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Conservation Practices
Land forming Permanent pads Pipes controlling
runoff Slotted board risers Center pivot
irrigation Side inlets Underground pipe Tail
water recovery Pond water management Water meters
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Straight Levee Rice Field
Typical Water Use 2002 Inches Avg Max
Min Cotton 6 16 2 Corn 11 16
0 Beans 10 16 4 Rice 38 60 12 Fish
32 (70) (20)
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Conjunctive Use of Surface Water
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Weir Construction
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Tallahatchie River Quiver River Diversion
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Possible Delta Permitting Requirements

• Implementation of conservation practices on
  permitted acreage to meet a targeted irrigation
  efficiency.
• Change from 10-year withdrawal permits to 5-year
  or even 2 to 3-year permits for certain cases.
• Demonstrate surface water cannot be used for
  irrigation.

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Water Use Information
Require water use reporting
Require metering of new wells
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Water Management Plan(continued)

• Use a phased approach to achieve reduction in
  groundwater withdrawal.
• Continue monitoring to verify results support
  implementation of other planned phases.
• Establish appropriate benchmarks
  related to water level changes.
• Specify resulting management
  consequences.

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Final Phases of Plan

• Designate critical areas as Special Groundwater
  Withdrawal Areas and exercise regulatory
  authority to reduce pumping rates.
• Water Use Warning Area
• Water Use Caution Area
• Place moratorium on issuance of new permits.
• Begin regulated reduction of existing permits.
• Continue long-term strict enforcement until
  acceptable water levels are achieved.

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Extent of Problem?
Center of the Delta problem? or Delta-wide
problem?
Where to focus efforts and funding?
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Groundwater Management 101

• Development of a valid groundwater flow model
• Understand the hydrogeology
• Historic water level measurements
• Historic water use data.

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Conclusions

• The Delta is blessed with tremendous water
  resources.
• Present volume of groundwater being pumped from
  the MRVA is not sustainable.
• An effective management plan must be developed
  and implemented.
• MDEQ intends to take a phased approach to address
  Delta water-related concerns.
• Time-critical situation.

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All Aboard