Mission:
The mission of the Laboratory Director's Office is to supervise the administrative functions of the USDA ARS National Sedimentation Laboratory administrative staff, to represent the Agency at the Laboratory/Location level, and to coordinate and implement Agency policies at the Laboratory/Location level. The research program at the National Sedimentation Laboratory (NSL) emphasizes interdisciplinary research dealing with the processes of soil erosion; transport and deposition of sediment; movement of chemicals on upland areas and in streams; the impact of agricultural practices, in-stream structures, and bank protection on these processes; water quality issues related to agricultural practices; and the ecological well-being of streams and adjacent riparian zones. Research ranges from basic and fundamental research to applied research and technology transfer to federal and state action agencies. Of special significance is cooperative research with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) on the Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) and with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality on watershed environmental water quality research. Much of the research conducted by the NSL is in cooperation with the University of Mississippi, the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, and other universities. This cooperation has allowed the NSL to conduct research related to bio-indicators, numerical modeling of the watershed stream system, and acoustical measurements in sediment movement, deposition, and dam stability, and to make progress that would not occur otherwise.