Analyzing Water Resource Issues in the State of Mississippi

Abstract

Aims: The paper assesses water resource issues in the state of Mississippi using GIS mapping. Study Design: Adopted a mixscale appoach. Methodology: The aproach is applied to GIS and primary data connected to descriptive statistics by analyzing the impacts of water use through data collected at the state, county and regional level. Place and Duration of Study: The counties of Mississippi between Spetember 2010-December 2013. Results: The study shows a rise in pumpage among different sectors and a widening of boil water alerts triggered by pollution and standard violations. With the vulnerability to water stress, and potential scarcity from climate change. Regional comparisons point to the exposure to accumulative groundwater depletion since the past several decades. While the spatial analysis revealed the concentration of extensive groundwater water use and emergence of cone formation in the northwest region of the state, the threats of contaminated sites, E. coli and coliform outbreak were evident across space. Conclusions: The assessment of these issues showed the capacity of mix scale approach in highlighting the susceptibility of Mississippi’s water resources to degradation. From the spatial patterns, the northwest and the south west area showed more concentration of higher pumpage than other areas. Added to that is the notable presence of contaminated sites on areas adjacent to water resources. In the process, mix scale approach enhanced our research and basis for appraising water resource use. To mitigate the issues, the paper outlined five recommendations ranging from education to the need for data infrastructure design and more use of GIS in water resource management. The paper also outlined its contributions and areas for future research.