Little Topashaw Creek has been identified as a priority watershed by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality.
The creek is a tributary of the Yalobusha River, located in the northeastern portion of Webster County and the southwestern portion of Chickasaw County.
Little Topashaw Creek is listed on Mississippi’s 2018 303(d) list of impaired water bodies for biological impairments. The 29,986-acre watershed consists of 10,495 acres of pastureland, 5,997 acres of forestland, 11,994 acres of cropland and 1,500 acres other.
Joint efforts by the Mississippi Soil and Water Conservation Commission, MDEQ, Environmental Protection Agency, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Webster and Chickasaw Counties Soil and Water Conservation District resulted in a proposal and subsequent implementation of a project to significantly reduce the amount of non-point source pollutants entering Little Topashaw Creek by demonstrating the effectiveness of selected Best Management Practices .
The primary goals of the project have been:
• To improve water quality and protect high quality waters
• To reduce annual erosion to a minimum
• To apply BMPs to agricultural land in the demonstration project
• To inform and educate the public about BMPs that benefit water quality
Although this project is scheduled to end June 30, work is still ongoing to further assist the landowners in this watershed.
For additional information about the project, contact the Chickasaw County Soil and Water Conservation District and the Natural Resource Conservation Service at 456-1499 ext. #3 or the Webster County Soil and Water Conservation District and Natural Resource Conservation Service at 258-2357 ext #3.
