NATIONAL WATER SUMMARY 1985 - HYDROLOGIC EVENTS AND SURFACE-WATER RESOURCES FOR MISSISSIPPI by A.G. Lamonds and E.H. Boswell Prepared by U.S. Geological Survey 1985 WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 2300 TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract Surface-water Resources General setting Principal river basins Lower Mississippi Region     Yazoo River Basin     Big Black Subregion South Atlantic-Gulf Region     Pearl Subregion         Pearl River Basin Mobile-Tombigbee Subregion     Tombigbee River Basin Pascagoula Subregion     Pascagoula River Basin Surface-water management Selected references FIGURES 1. Average annual precipitation and runoff in Mississippi and average monthly data for selected sites, 1951-80. 2. Principal river basins and related surface-water resources development in Mississippi and average discharges for selected sites. TABLES 1. Surface-water facts for Mississippi 2. Selected streamflow characteristics of principal river basins in Mississippi ABSTRACT Mississippi, with an average annual runoff of about 20 inches, has an abundance of surface water. The Mississippi River forms the State's western boundary, and 5 interior streams have average discharges in excess of 4,000 cubic feet per second, or 2,590 million gallons per day. The State has 6 major reservoirs, each with more than 25,000 acre-feet, or 8,150 million gal- lons of storage, that are used primarily for flood control and recreation. These reservoirs are potential sites for future hydroelectric-power generation. Cur- rently, no hydroelectric power is generated in the State. Offstream use of surface water in 1980, mostly for cooling at thermoelectric plants, averaged 1,400 million gallons per day, or 2,170 cubic feet per second, ac- counting for 48 percent of the total water use in the State. Thermoelectric-power generation and industrial use accounted for 86 percent of surface-water with- drawals. Withdrawals for irrigation accounted for about 9 percent and withdrawals for public-water supplies accounted for about 3 percent of the total surface-water use in 1980. Surface water served the water-supply needs of 7 percent of the population. Additional information on surface-water withdrawals in Mississippi during 1980 is given in table 1. Historically, Mississippi has had an agricultural economy. Concerns about water resources generally have related to flooding and droughts, which are harmful to agriculture. However, there is a growing awareness of the need for better water management in the State, and two comprehensive water laws de- signed to improve the regulation and management of water-resources development in the State were enacted in 1985. LizardTech's Djvu plug-in is needed to view these reports. CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE ENTIRE REPORT For questions or comments, contact K. Van Wilson.