The Pearl River Basin

							The Pearl River Basin
          Hannah Thatcher




                     Source: fishcrow.com
                   Pearl River Basin
•   Located in central Mississippi and
    eastern part of Louisiana

•   Bounded by the Lake Pontchartrain
    Basin on the south and west

•   Drains all or part of 23 counties in
    Mississippi and 3 parishes (counties) in
    Louisiana

•   Drains an area of 8,760 mi 2

•   Contains approximately 7 million acres     Source: absoluteastronomy.com
• Elevations range
  from sea level to
  almost 700 feet (0
  to 210 meters)

• Upper two-thirds
  consist of gently
  rolling to hilly
  terrain

• Southern part is
  much flatter



                       Source: http://ms.water.usgs.gov/ms_proj/eric/sd_state.gif
Source: ms.water.usgs.gov/ ms_proj/eric/pearl.html
                       History
• Traces of civilizations dating back to 400 B. C. have been
  found in the southern part of the basin near Mulatto Bayou

• Choctaw Indians lived along the banks of the Upper Pearl

• Lower Pearl River is famous for stories of river boat pirates

• In 1964 the Pearl River Basin Development District was
  created

• The Pearl River Basin Development District promotes the
  economic growth and environmental wellness of the Pearl
  River Basin through the areas of flood control, pollution
  abatement, water supply, soil conservation, and recreation
                 Geology
• Coastal deposits
• Citronelle Formation
• Pascagoula and
  Hattieburg Formation
• Catahoula Formation
• Vicksburg Group and
  Chickasawhay Limestone
• Forest Hill Formation and
  Red Bluff Clay
                              Source: http://pubs.usgs.gov/ha/ha730/ch_f/gif/F013.GIF
           Geology Cont.
•   Jackson Group
•   Cockfield Formation
•   Cook Mountain Formation
•   Kosciusko Formation
•   Zilpha and Winona Formation
•   Tallahatta Formation
•   Wilcox Group
•   Naheola Formation
•   Porters Creek Formation
               Water
•Use of surface water in the basin is large
•1.2 million gallons per day are used for
irrigation
•6.2 million gallons per day are used for
livestock
•30.7 million gallons per day are used for
industry
•220,000 gallons per day are used for sand
and gravel mining
              Water Cont.

•33 million gallons per day used for municipal
drinking water supply
•Turbidity is high in the upper two thirds of
the basin
•Water quality of streams is fair
•Southern third of basin streams have a fast,
deep flow and have fair to good water quality
                 The Pearl River
•   Small river draining east-
    central and southwest
    Mississippi and
    southeastern Louisiana

•   It enters into the Gulf of
    Mexico via Lake Borgne
    and the Mississippi Sound

•   It is approximately 790 km
    long

•   Drains an area of 22,690
    km2 (0.7% of the
    Mississippi drainage
    basin).                      Source: fishcrow.com
                 Pearl River Cont.
•   Freshwater and suspended
    sediment discharges in 2002
    were 9.06 km3 and 0.32kg

•   Drainage basin is dominated
    by natural forest which
    includes evergreen,
    deciduous, and mixed forests,
    followed by agricultural area

•   Marshy and swampy areas
    make up 10% of the land
    cover and are distributed all
    along the river corridor


                                    Source: www.srh.noaa.gov/lmrfc/?n=pearlriverbasin
                                 Ecology
• Many different animals call the Pearl home
   – Large bird population
      • Ivory-billed Woodpeckers
      • Swallow-tailed Kites
      • Barred Owls
      • Red-shouldered Hawks
      • Red-bellied Woodpecker
      • Pileated Woodpecker
      • Northern Mockingbird
      • Great Blue Heron
      • Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
      • Many more…




               Source: fishcrow.com
                       Ecology Cont.
     – Alligators
     – Snakes (including water moccasins)
     – Bobcats
     – Rabbits
     – Deer
     – Wild Hogs
•   The first forests inland from the coast are primarily bald cypress
    and tupelo
•   These areas that are always inundated grade into bottomland
    hardwood forests as elevation increases
•   The bottomland hardwood forests are of mixed species
    composition
•   In the more upland areas of the basin pine communities are
    established and dominate
Source: fishcrow.com
                              References
•   Collins, Mike. “Ivory-billed Woodpeckers in the Pearl River Basin.”
      – www.fishcrow.com
•   USGS. “The Pearl River Basin.”
      – http://ms.water.usgs.gov/ms_proj/eric/pearl.html
•   Holbrook, John. Schumm, S. A. “ Geomorphic and sedimentary response of rivers to
    tectonic deformation: a brief review and critique of a tool for recognizing subtle epeirogenic
    deformation in modern and ancient settings” Tectonophysics Vol. 305, Issues 1-3,10 May
    1999, Pages 287-306.
•   Visser, Jenneke M., Sasser, Charles E., Chabreck, Robert H., Linscombe, R. G.“Marsh
    vegetation types of the Mississippi River Deltaic Plain.” Estuaries and Coasts Vol 21,
    Number 4, December 1998, Pages 818-828.
•   “Pearl Basin” CONSERVATION HABITATS & SPECIES ASSESSMENTS, LA CWCS--DEC
    2005
      – http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/pdfs/experience/Pearl.pdf
•   Storm, E. W. 2005. The Rivers of Mississippi.
    http://www.mswater.usgs.gov/ms_proj/eric/index.html.
•   PRBDD Pearl River Basin Development District. “Topography and History.”
      – www.pearlriverbasin.com/
•   Hilgard, Eugene W. “Report on the geology and agriculture of the State of Mississippi.”
    Cabot Science Library, 2005.
•   Thompson, David E. “Geologic Map of Mississippi.” Mississippi Office of Geology, June
    2009.
•   Chapman, Elise L., Chambers, Jeffrey Q., Ribbeck, Kenny F., Baker, Dave B., Tobler, Mark
    A., Hongcheng Zeng, Hongcheng, White, David A. “Hurricane Katrina impacts on forest
    trees of Louisiana's Pearl River basin.” Forest Ecology and Management, Vol 256, Issue 5,
    August 20, 2008, Pages 883-889.