|
CHUNKY-OKATIBBEE WATERSHED PROJECT
 |
| Foundation meets at the Chunky River for ecotour. |
During the summer of 2006, the East Mississippi Foothills land Trust received a $350,000 grant from the Mississippi Department of Environm ental Quality to develop and implement a watershed management plan for the Chunky-Okatibbee watershed.
The objective of the watershed project is to identify sources of pollution and water quality impairment in the Chunky-Okatibbee watershed; to identify best management practices to address the sources of pollution and water quality impairment; to develop a watershed education and public involvement campaign; and to encourage acquisition, conservation, and preservation.
 It is the East Mississippi Foothills Land Trust's belief that the water quality and ecological health of the Chunky-Okatibbee Watershed is important to our culture, our heritage, and our way of life. We anticipate the watershed management project to be a wonderful opportunity to raise the level of awareness in the area and actively address water quality issues of concern.
At right you can read about Nonpoint Source Pollution, and learn more about contributing factors to the erosion and pollution of our local rivers and streams in highly populated areas like Mississippi and other states.
|
NSP (Nonpoint Source Pollution) may include the following sources:
-
Excess fertilizers, herbicides, and insecticides from agricultural lands and residential areas;
-
Oil, grease, and toxic chemicals from urban runoff and energy production;
-
Sediment from improperly managed construction sites, crop and forest lands, and eroding streambanks;
-
Salt from irrigation practices and acid drainage from abandoned mines;
-
Bacteria and nutrients from livestock, pet wastes, and faulty septicsystems;
Atmospheric deposition and hydromodification are also sources of nonpoint source pollution. |
|
|
|
Nonpoint source pollution, unlike pollution from industrial and sewage treatment plants, comes from many diffuse sources. NPS pollution is caused by rainfall or snowmelt moving over and through the ground. As the runoff moves, it picks up and carries away natural and human-made pollutants, finally depositing them into lakes, rivers, wetlands, coastal waters, and even our underground sources of drinking water.
More... |
|
|
View a POWERPOINT presentation from the Watershed Implementation Team Meeting in February '08 |
|
