News Filed Under Water

Community groups with a passion for stewarding their local water resources have the opportunity until Jan. 31, 2025, to apply for a mini-grant to help with their efforts.

Colder weather is just around the corner! Do you have a plan to winterize your home for when freezing temperatures arrive? Preparing your home for the cold not only ensures comfort, but also helps protect your home from damage. 

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- A Mississippi State University associate Extension professor of water and wastewater systems is one of nine recipients of annual awards presented by the Universities Council on Water Resources, or UCOWR.

Jason Barrett, interim director of the Mississippi Water Resources Research Institute, or WRRI, was honored with the UCOWR Institute Mid-Career Award for Extension, Outreach and Engagement. The award acknowledges outstanding contributions to water-related efforts in each of these areas.

Rural water systems in Mississippi face some daunting challenges when it comes to upgrades and improvements. Funding ranks at the top of those challenges.

RAYMOND, Miss. -- By 2050, the world’s oceans will contain more plastic pollution by weight than fish. It's an alarming statistic. Implementing small lifestyle changes associated with zero waste can help reduce all waste, including plastics, that enter waterways and landfills.

As communities realize the treasure they have in their water resources, many citizens and groups look for ways to preserve and improve the lakes, rivers and streams.
Beth Baker, a specialist in natural resource conservation in agroecosystems with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said the university recently received a $100,000 environmental education grant to help these grassroots efforts go farther.

The Mississippi State University Extension Service was part of a team that received a national award in July for innovation in conservation efforts.
The Soil and Water Conservation Society gave the Conservation Innovation Award to the One Good Idea online platform, which is a component of a larger project led by Beth Baker, associate Extension professor in the MSU Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture, and involves five multi-state partners.

POPLARVILLE, Miss. -- The Mississippi State University Extension Service will offer free bacteria screenings for private water well owners in Pearl River County during an upcoming workshop.

HOLLY SPRINGS, Miss. -- The Mississippi State University Extension Service will offer free bacteria screenings for private water well owners in Marshall County during an upcoming free program.

Mississippi growers and those across the Midwest and mid-South still have time to take advantage of two opportunities to improve soil health and water quality while protecting profitability on their farms.

Although few consider what makes it possible to turn on the tap at home and get abundant, clean water, there is an entire critical infrastructure operating smoothly to make that happen.

Technology allows Jeremy Jack to implement management practices on Silent Shade Planting Co. in Belzoni that were impossible 15 years ago, and water use efficiency is just one way his operation has improved.

Agriculture is the world’s single largest consumer of fresh water, making the water shortages expected over the next 10 years in at least 40 states -- Mississippi included -- critically important.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- A water sampling program conducted by the Mississippi State University Extension Service has encouraging initial data about lead levels in drinking water collected at child care centers around the state.

Preliminary data gathered as part of the SipSafe program paint a reassuring picture for most of the faucets sampled.

A Mississippi State University Extension Service program is organizing a list of qualified child care centers and schools in anticipation of funding for addressing lead in drinking water. Facilities with sample results that show elevated levels of lead in drinking water will be flagged for funding on a first-come, first-served basis in order of participation date and highest levels of lead exposure.

SHAW, Miss. -- Mississippi State University scientists will cohost a collaborative field day in the Mississippi Delta on July 13 to share information about cover crops, soil and water health, and irrigation automation and efficiency. 

The Soil and Water Stewardship in Row-Crop Systems field day runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and begins at Mosco Farm at the southwest of 813 US-61 in Shaw. Attendees will travel to Clements Farm and finish the event at the West F.A.R.M. Pavilion. A complimentary catfish lunch is included for registered participants.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- The Mississippi State University Extension Service is promoting a free water sampling campaign in seven Mississippi Delta counties.

Water samples will be analyzed for coliform bacteria and metals. Any Mississippi resident with a private well is eligible to participate. Test kits and detailed sampling instructions will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.

Participants can pick up sampling bottles April 26 to May 10 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. at the following MSU Extension county offices:

You probably know how dangerous lead is, especially for children. Even low levels can have long term effects on a child’s development. The most important thing you can do is lessen your exposure or avoid lead exposure altogether.