About the Basin Management Approach
What is Nonpoint Source Water Pollution?
When most people think about sources of water pollution, what comes to mind is a pipe releasing wastewater into a stream from a treatment plant or industrial facility. Direct discharge like this is called a point source.
Point sources of pollution are governed by water quality rules set at the state and national levels and closely regulated. Conversely, when pollution comes from a dispersed, variety of sources (abandoned mines, forestry, urban streets, highways, cropland, pasture) and is carried into waterbodies by rainfall moving over and through the ground, it is called a nonpoint source of pollution (NPS).
As stormwater runoff moves, it picks up and carries natural and human-made pollutants to lakes, reservoirs, rivers, streams, wetlands, and coastal waters. NPS pollution can also be transported into groundwater as runoff percolates through the soil. While point source discharges can occur continuously, in Mississippi NPS pollution is primarily driven by periods of rainfall.
The mission of the Basin Management Approach is to foster stewardship of Mississippi’s water resources through collaborative watershed planning, education, protection, and restoration initiatives with the ultimate goal of reducing non-point source pollution.
To accomplish this, nine of Mississippi’s major river basins have been organized into four basin groups. Click here to learn about the basins and locate yours!
Each basin group has a basin team of state and federal agencies and local organizations. This team provides the opportunity for multiple levels of government and local stakeholders to coordinate their efforts. Together, basin team members help assess water quality, determine causes and sources of problems, and prioritize watersheds for water quality restoration and protection activities. The Basin Management Approach also encourages and provides the opportunity for basin team members to pool both technical and financial resources to address priority watersheds.
Is the Program Making a Difference?
The greatest measure of success for the Mississippi Non-point Source Pollution Management Program is restoring impaired water bodies to full use. Using this metric, the Mississippi NPS Pollution Management Program is, and has been, a success for over 30 years. Each year, the Program, with its partners, initiates between 2-4 projects to improve water quality and restore water bodies across the state.
To date, $18,952,000 have funded water resource conservation, preservation and education projects that benefit the citizens, economy and natural resources of Mississippi.
How Does the Basin Management Approach Benefit You?
- Identifies and targets our water quality problems and focuses efforts and funding on solving them.
- Provides more opportunities for direct involvement by you and other Mississippians in developing and implementing solutions to our water quality problems.
- Creates a more direct pathway for you and other basin stakeholders to access available technical assistance and funding resources.
- Lessens the need for future environmental regulation.
- Increases the likelihood of quality water resources for future generations.
- Benefits local economies through the injection of project funding.
How can I participate?
Successfully managing our water resources requires the input of all citizens in a basin – from homeowners to farmers to businesses to local officials. The Basin Management Approach provides opportunities for you to participate in decision-making efforts and in shaping the future of water quality in your basin. Remember, this is your basin! Take ownership of it and join the effort to protect its water resources.
There are several ways you can participate in the Basin Management Approach.
- Participate in local stakeholder meetings.
- Join a local watershed group or start one of your own.
- Contact your Basin Coordinator for more information about project funding and how you can get involved.
