Mississippi Delta MSEA Volume 3, Issue 2, Page 1, First Semester 1997

REPORTER

Volume 3, Issue 2, Page 1, Second Semester 1997

My article for this newsletter is divided into two areas: the overall MDMSEA project and the USGS sampling. First, with regards to the overall project, I?d like to mention several items that may be of interest. In the area of funding, we have two possible sources of funding that may hit in FY98. We submitted a 319 proposal through the Mississippi Soil and Water Conservation Commission at the beginning of this past summer. The proposal would bring about $125,000 to the project beginning around July of 1998. The proposal would help fund our continuing BMP efforts in the Deep Hollow watershed and would provide funds for education programs. This proposal would also be a good tie-in with the National Science Foundation proposal developed by Dr. Sandra Harpole at Mississippi State University. We should find out soon if the proposal will be funded. Secondly, we have been trying to work out areas of possible collaboration with private industry. Specifically, we have made contact with the Pyrethroid Working Group, which is a conglomeration of chemical industries that manufacture this group of insecticides. Some barriers exist in working with private industry, but collaboration is still possible if the barriers are minimized or eliminated. We will be contacting this group of private industry to follow-up our initial visits. I would also like to mention that the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation has recently filmed the MDMSEA watersheds for another video that will update the first one that was done nearly two years ago. The video should be finished by the end of February. We don?t know at this time whether the video will be used on Farm Bureau?s television program this next year or not.

With regard to the sampling by the USGS, for the period Oct 1, 1996, to September 30, 1997, the USGS collected about 50 flow-weighted composite samples that were analyzed for an array of herbicides (about 26 by GC/MS), nutrients, TOC, and suspended sediment. In addition, about 210 discrete samples were also collected during the growing season that were analyzed for fluometuron (by ELIZA immunoassay methods) and for nutrients. About 600 discrete samples (year round sampling) were analyzed for suspended sediment. With regard to the ELIZA analyses, a relationship between the ELIZA values and GC/MS confirmation shows a very distinct relationship with an r2 value of 0.92. Results of the ELIZA confirmation will be published in a conference paper at the upcoming 1998 Mississippi Water Resources Conference. The storm coverage represents about 25-30 storms at the sites.

A conference paper describing the sampling locations and strategies was presented at the 1997 Mississippi Water Resources Conference. Also, a summary of some of the concentration data was presented at a scientists' update meeting on September 17th in Stoneville. Concentrations of fluometuron, dissolved nitrate, dissolved phosphorus, and other constituents were presented at the meeting. The data showed that BMP?s in the Deep Hollow watershed were doing a better job of reducing these constituents in the runoff. However, the audience was cautioned that these results were preliminary. The flow data were not available at the time, and constituent loads had not been calculated. The load data may show much different results.

That's it for now. If you have any questions, you can contact me.

Richard A. Rebich
U.S. Geological Survey, WRD
Jackson, MS 39208-6649
Phone: 601-933-2928
Fax: 601-933-2901
Email: rarebich@usgs.gov