Mississippi Irrigation Manual

Background

The Lower Mississippi River Basin is one of the United States’ most productive and intensively irrigated agricultural regions, with 90% of the basin’s irrigation water coming from the Mississippi River Valley Alluvial Aquifer (MRVA). Overdrawing this shallow, productive aquifer is negatively impacting agricultural productivity and profitability, base flows of streams, water quality, and aquatic and riparian habitats. Currently, scientists from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (USDA ARS) and Mississippi State University are conducting research and extension activities on water-related issues at the National Center for Alluvial Aquifer Research (NCAAR).

History

The National Center for Alluvial Aquifer Research was established by Congress in 2017 as a cooperative program between USDA ARS and the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station at Mississippi State. NCAAR was created to address the water resources challenges in the Mississippi River Alluvial Aquifer.

Mission

The mission of NCAAR is to conduct research and provide information on issues surrounding water use for agriculture and natural resources in the Lower Mississippi River Basin.

Objectives

NCAAR aims to produce and communicate research directed at the conservation and sustainability of water resources for agriculture. This research includes developing water-efficient cropping systems, improving water capture, improving water distribution systems and irrigation efficiencies, enhancing the use of water-saving irrigation management options, and developing economic risk assessment tools that enable producers to identify profitable, water-efficient production options.