319 WATER QUALITY PROGRAM
The purpose of the Mississippi Soil and Water Conservation Commission’s (MSWCC) 319 Program is to assist landowner/operators with the installation of Best Management Practices on agricultural lands and inform/educate individuals about nonpoint source pollution in selected watersheds across Mississippi that are considered to be impaired.
Funding for the program is authorized by Congress through Section 319 of the Federal Clean Water Act. The Act provides funding to the Environmental Protection Agency, with funds distributed to the state’s water quality agencies to address nonpoint sources of pollution. In Mississippi, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) is the lead agency for the development and implementation of the 319 Program.
The MSWCC has been designated at the lead agency for agricultural non-point source pollution. Through agreements with MDEQ, the MSWCC implements information/education projects and land treatment cost-share projects across the State.
Funds for 319 projects are used to pay for up to 60 percent of project costs with a 40 percent match being required. Landowner participation in the program is 100 percent voluntary.
| Project | Location |
|---|---|
| Sherman Creek | North Tallahatchie County |
| Planter Bayou | Central Tallahatchie County |
| Owl Creek | Tippah County |
| Fuller Creek-Town Creek | Monroe County/Clay County |
| Muddy Bayou | South-Central Quitman County/Northwest Tallahatchie County |
| Ellison Creek | Yazoo County |
| Upper Piney Creek | Northeast Yazoo County |
Sherman Creek-Panola Quitman Floodway Phase II
The Sherman Creek –Panola Quitman Floodway Watershed is located in the northern portion of Tallahatchie County in North Mississippi covering approximately 33,128 acres. According to the 2016 National Land Cover Database (NLCD), the land use within this watershed comprises approximately 51% cropland, 18% wetlands, 20% forestland, and 11% other (water, scrub/barren, pastureland and urban). This watershed is unique in the fact that part of it lies within the bluff hills and the other part is in the Mississippi delta.
Only 23.5% of the watershed falls within the Bluff Hills Region of the Yazoo Basin while the majority, 76.5%, is located within the Delta Region. This project will be addressing the sediment and nutrient loading into the streams and creeks in the Sherman Creek-Panola Quitman Floodway watershed. Best Management Practices that are available to landowners in this watershed are as follows: Critical area Planting, Dikes, Fencing, Grade Stabilization Structures, Streambank and Shoreline Protection, Structures for Water Control, Heavy Use Area Protection, Forage and Biomass Planting, and Tank/Troughs.
Platner Bayou
The Platner Bayou-Tippo Bayou Watershed is located in the central portion of Tallahatchie County in North Mississippi covering approximately 31,220 acres. According to the 2019 National Land Cover Database (NLCD), the land use within this watershed is approximately 67% cropland, 13% wetlands, 10% forestland, and 10% other (water, scrub/barren, pastureland and urban). This watershed is unique in the fact that part of it lies within the Bluff Hills ecoregion and the other part is in the Mississippi Alluvial Plains otherwise referred to as the Mississippi Delta.
Only 14% of the watershed falls within the Bluff Hills Region of the Yazoo Basin while the majority of the watershed, 86%, is located within the Mississippi Delta. This project will be addressing the sediment and nutrient loading into the streams and creeks in the Platner Bayou watershed. Best Management Practices that are available to landowners in this watershed are as follows: Heavy Use Area Protection, Dikes, Fencing, Grade Stabilization Structures, Streambank and Shoreline Protection, Structures for Water Control, Cover Crops, Forage and Biomass Planting, Pond, and Tank/Troughs.
Owl Creek
The Owl Creek-Little Hatchie River Watershed is located in Ripley Mississippi (MS). The entirety of the 25,740-acre watershed lies within Tippah County in northeast Mississippi and is part of the North Independent Streams Basin. According to the 2016 National Land Cover Database (NLCD), the land use in this watershed is comprised of approximately 59% (15,195 acres) forestry, 22 % (5,780 acres) pastureland, and 2% (455 acres) cropland.
This project will be addressing the sediment and nutrient loading into the streams and creeks in the Platner Bayou watershed. Best Management Practices that are available to landowners in this watershed are as follows: Heavy Use Area Protection, Fencing, Grade Stabilization Structures, Streambank and Shoreline Protection, Stream Crossings, and Tank/Troughs.
Fuller Creek-Town Creek
The Fuller Creek-Town Creek Watershed is located in Northeast Mississippi in the Tombigbee River Basin and is part of the larger Blackland Prairie ecoregion (65a). The watershed lies northeast of the city of West Point in the southern portion of Monroe County and upper portion of Clay County covering approximately 20,346 acres. There are two major streams that run through the watershed: Town Creek on the western side of the watershed and Fuller Creek on the eastern side. Ultimately Fuller Creek drains into Town Creek near the southern border of the watershed. According to the 2019 National Land Cover Database (NLCD), the land use within this watershed is comprised of approximately 43% pasture/grassland, 37% cropland, 8% wetlands, 6% forestland, and 6% other (water, scrub/barren, and urban).
This project will be addressing the sediment and nutrient loading into the streams and creeks in the Fuller Creek-Town Creek watershed. Best Management Practices that are available to landowners in this watershed are as follows: Heavy Use Area Protection, Dikes, Terrace, Fencing, Grade Stabilization Structures, Streambank and Shoreline Protection, Critical Area Planting, Field Borders, Cover Crops, Forage and Biomass Planting, Pond, and Tank/Troughs.
Muddy Bayou
The Muddy Bayou Watershed is located in the south-central portion of Quitman County and the northwestern part of Tallahatchie County in North Mississippi covering approximately 32,731 acres. From its headwaters east of Stover, Mississippi, Muddy Bayou meanders south from the northern areas of the watershed moving east along the boundary and finally draining into Opossum Bayou at the mouth of the watershed. According to the 2019 National Land Cover Database (NLCD), the land use within this watershed is comprised of approximately 76% cropland, 21% wetlands, and 3% other (water and urban).
This project will be addressing the sediment and nutrient loading into the streams and creeks in the Muddy Bayou watershed. Best Management Practices that are available to landowners in this watershed are as follows: Grade Stabilization Structures, Streambank and Shoreline Protection, Structures for Water Control, Dikes, and Cover Crops.
Ellison Creek
The Ellison Creek Watershed is located just north of Mississippi’s capital in Jackson, MS, along the banks of the Big Black River in Yazoo County and covers an area of 10,957 acres. According to the 2019 National Land Cover Database (NLCD), the land use within this watershed is comprised of approximately 16% cropland, 22% pasture, 55% forestland, and 7% other (water, scrub/barren, wetland and urban).
This project will be addressing the sediment and nutrient loading into the streams and creeks in the Ellison Creek watershed. Best Management Practices that are available to landowners in this watershed are as follows: Grade Stabilization Structures, Streambank and Shoreline Protection, Heavy Use Area Protection, Fencing, Tank/Troughs, Ponds, and Cover Crops.
Upper Piney Creek
The Upper Piney Creek Watershed (MWS 9223) is located in the Northeastern portion of Yazoo County just east of Yazoo City in North Central Mississippi covering approximately 31,154 acres. This watershed includes the Piney Creek headwaters to the boundary with the Lower Piney Creek Watershed (MWS 9224). According to the 2019 National Land Cover Database (NLCD), the land use within this watershed is comprised of approximately 64% forestland, 20% pastureland, 9% cropland, and 7% other (water, scrub/barren, wetland, and urban).
This project will be addressing the sediment and nutrient loading into the streams and creeks in the Upper Piney Creek watershed. Best Management Practices that are available to landowners in this watershed are as follows: Grade Stabilization Structures, Structures for Water Control, Streambank and Shoreline Protection, Heavy Use Area Protection, Fencing, Tank/Troughs, Ponds, Critical Area Planting, Terraces, and Cover Crops.
