Proceedings of the 2019 Mississippi Water Resources Conference

Year: 2019 Authors: Sorrell K.

The Office of Land and Water Resources (OLWR) is responsible for the management of the water resources in Mississippi. § 51-3-1 of the Mississippi Code requires that the water resources of the state be put to beneficial use to the fullest extent of which they are capable, that the waste or unreasonable use, or unreasonable method of use, of water be prevented, that the conservation of such water be exercised. In order to achieve this, the Permitting, Certification, and Compliance Division of OLWR utilizes water availability and use data to determine the viability of new groundwater and surface water withdrawal points, allowed permitted volumes for new and existing groundwater and surface water withdrawal permits, and restrictions on permitted uses. Both surface water and groundwater are used in Northeast Mississippi to meet the demand of multiple beneficial uses.