The Pearl River Watershed
MDEQ Citizen's Guide to Water Quality in the Pearl River Basin
A watershed is an area of land that contains all of the streams, creeks and smaller rivers that drain to a larger river, a lake or an ocean. The Pearl River Basin watershed drains an area of 8,760 square miles in 23 counties in Central and Southern Mississippi and 3 parishes in Louisiana. The Pearl River begins in Neshoba County, Mississippi, passes by the state capital, Jackson (population 185,000), then runs along the border of Louisiana and eventually drains to the Mississippi Sound, Lake Borgne and the Gulf of Mexico. The river is approximately 490 miles in length and its major tributaries include the Yockanookany, Strong and Bogue Chitto Rivers.
The Ross Barnett Reservoir Dam, built in 1963, created a 33,000 acre impoundment of the Pearl River northeast of Jackson. The Reservoir is used both for recreational activities, hosting over 3 million visitors per year, and as a drinking water supply for the city of Jackson. About 50 miles north of its mouth, the Pearl River forks into two, the East fork forming the border of Mississippi and Louisiana and the West Pearl River situated entirely in Louisiana. Seven Louisiana designated natural and scenic streams flow within the Pearl River Basin including Pushepatapa Creek, Bogue Chitto River, Holmes Bayou, Bradley Slough, Wilson Slough, Morgan River and West Pearl River. The Pearl River Basin is also home to the Old River Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Mississippi, The Pearl River WMAs in Mississippi and Louisiana and the Bogue Chitto National Wildlife Refuge in Louisiana.
This watershed is rich in cultural and ecological resources. The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians is headquartered in the Pearl River community of Philadelphia, MS. Ecologically, this watershed supports a biodiverse assemblage of fauna with over 40 species of mussel and 130 species of native fish. It supports eight federally listed species including the ringed map turtle, Gulf sturgeon, inflated heelsplitter mussel, Bald Eagle, dusky gopher frog, gopher tortoise, Pearl darter and Louisiana black bear. The ringed map turtle is a threatened species found only in the Pearl River watershed in Louisiana and Mississippi. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has designated the Pearl River as a critical habitat for the Gulf Sturgeon which migrates up the river to breed.
The Ross Barnett Reservoir Dam, built in 1963, created a 33,000 acre impoundment of the Pearl River northeast of Jackson. The Reservoir is used both for recreational activities, hosting over 3 million visitors per year, and as a drinking water supply for the city of Jackson. About 50 miles north of its mouth, the Pearl River forks into two, the East fork forming the border of Mississippi and Louisiana and the West Pearl River situated entirely in Louisiana. Seven Louisiana designated natural and scenic streams flow within the Pearl River Basin including Pushepatapa Creek, Bogue Chitto River, Holmes Bayou, Bradley Slough, Wilson Slough, Morgan River and West Pearl River. The Pearl River Basin is also home to the Old River Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Mississippi, The Pearl River WMAs in Mississippi and Louisiana and the Bogue Chitto National Wildlife Refuge in Louisiana.
This watershed is rich in cultural and ecological resources. The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians is headquartered in the Pearl River community of Philadelphia, MS. Ecologically, this watershed supports a biodiverse assemblage of fauna with over 40 species of mussel and 130 species of native fish. It supports eight federally listed species including the ringed map turtle, Gulf sturgeon, inflated heelsplitter mussel, Bald Eagle, dusky gopher frog, gopher tortoise, Pearl darter and Louisiana black bear. The ringed map turtle is a threatened species found only in the Pearl River watershed in Louisiana and Mississippi. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has designated the Pearl River as a critical habitat for the Gulf Sturgeon which migrates up the river to breed.
