News Filed Under Water

HOLLY SPRINGS, Miss. -- The Mississippi State University Extension Service will offer free bacteria screenings for private water well owners in Marshall County during an upcoming free program.

Mississippi growers and those across the Midwest and mid-South still have time to take advantage of two opportunities to improve soil health and water quality while protecting profitability on their farms.

Although few consider what makes it possible to turn on the tap at home and get abundant, clean water, there is an entire critical infrastructure operating smoothly to make that happen.

Technology allows Jeremy Jack to implement management practices on Silent Shade Planting Co. in Belzoni that were impossible 15 years ago, and water use efficiency is just one way his operation has improved.

Agriculture is the world’s single largest consumer of fresh water, making the water shortages expected over the next 10 years in at least 40 states -- Mississippi included -- critically important.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- A water sampling program conducted by the Mississippi State University Extension Service has encouraging initial data about lead levels in drinking water collected at child care centers around the state.

Preliminary data gathered as part of the SipSafe program paint a reassuring picture for most of the faucets sampled.

A Mississippi State University Extension Service program is organizing a list of qualified child care centers and schools in anticipation of funding for addressing lead in drinking water. Facilities with sample results that show elevated levels of lead in drinking water will be flagged for funding on a first-come, first-served basis in order of participation date and highest levels of lead exposure.

SHAW, Miss. -- Mississippi State University scientists will cohost a collaborative field day in the Mississippi Delta on July 13 to share information about cover crops, soil and water health, and irrigation automation and efficiency. 

The Soil and Water Stewardship in Row-Crop Systems field day runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and begins at Mosco Farm at the southwest of 813 US-61 in Shaw. Attendees will travel to Clements Farm and finish the event at the West F.A.R.M. Pavilion. A complimentary catfish lunch is included for registered participants.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- The Mississippi State University Extension Service is promoting a free water sampling campaign in seven Mississippi Delta counties.

Water samples will be analyzed for coliform bacteria and metals. Any Mississippi resident with a private well is eligible to participate. Test kits and detailed sampling instructions will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.

Participants can pick up sampling bottles April 26 to May 10 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. at the following MSU Extension county offices:

You probably know how dangerous lead is, especially for children. Even low levels can have long term effects on a child’s development. The most important thing you can do is lessen your exposure or avoid lead exposure altogether.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Private well owners in five coastal Mississippi counties may participate in a free water-testing program offered by the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi homeowners with private wells have two opportunities to learn how to enhance the quality of their drinking water sources.

The Mississippi Well Owner Network, a program of the Mississippi State University Extension Service, will hold workshops at the Extension offices in Perry County July 15 and at the East Central Community Center in Jackson County July 29. Each workshop begins at 6 p.m.