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 |
|---|---|
| Planter Bayou | Central Tallahatchie County |
| Fuller Creek-Town Creek | Monroe County/Clay County |
| Muddy Bayou | South-Central Quitman County/Northwest Tallahatchie County |
| Upper Piney Creek | Northeast Yazoo County |
| Bell Creek-West Prong Muddy Creek | Tippah County |
| Crowder Creek-Little Bogue | Grenada/Northern Montgomery Counties |
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.
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.
Bell Creek-West Prong Muddy Creek
The Bell Creek-West Prong Muddy Creek Watershed is located in the West Central part of Tippah County in northeast Mississippi (MS). The entirety of the 19,273-acre watershed lies within Tippah County and is part of the North Independent Streams Basin. According to the 2019 National Land Cover Database (NLCD), the land use in this watershed is comprised of approximately 49% (9,436 acres) forestry, 29.8 % (5,741 acres) pastureland, and 8.6% (1,656 acres) cropland.
This project will be addressing the sediment and nutrient loading into the streams and creeks in the Bell Creek-West Prong Muddy Creek 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.
Crowder Creek-Little Bogue
The Crowder Creek-Little Bogue Watershed is located in the Southeastern part of Grenada and Northern Montgomery Counties in north Mississippi (MS). This is a 21,288-acre watershed and is part of the Yazoo River Basin. According to the 2019 National Land Cover Database (NLCD), the land use in this watershed is comprised of approximately 53% (11,305 acres) forestry, 23.5 % (5,011 acres) pastureland, and 7.3% (1,560 acres) cropland.
This project will be addressing the sediment and nutrient loading into the streams and creeks in the Crowder Creek-Little Bogue 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.