With a dwindling alluvial plain aquifer in the 18 counties of the Mississippi Delta, local farmers are stepping things up and making an extra effort to conserve water
“The aquifer was high enough that it just oozed out into the Sunflower River and kept it flowing all the time, but now the aquifer has actually dropped below, so the Sunflower River has to have supplemental water in the fall to keep the fluid from the sewage treatment down the river,” said Pete Hunter, a farmer in Stovall for 46 years and past president of his district for the Mississippi Association of Conservation.
Hunter outlined four ways farmers are conserving water.
One is a computerized hole selection where the poly pipe is laid out for furrow irrigation.
By getting the elevation on field and the amount of water that pump can pull through the pipe, farmers can put in exactly the right-sized hose.
Hunter said surge valves are also being used, soil moisture meters are being utilized to help determine when irrigation is or is not needed, and a timer is being used on the irrigation motor. The timer cuts the irrigation motor off and saves water.
Bowen Flowers, a farmer in Coahoma County for 40 years, agreed.
“We’re trying to be proactive,” he said. “We’re trying to get ahead of the problem before there is a problem and we’re trying to get farmers to do conservation practices now to be aware this could become a major problem in the future.”
Flowers mentioned two of the conservation methods he uses the most.
“There is a computer program where we punch holes in the pipe planner,” he said. “It tells us what size holes to put in the poly pipe and that makes the water come out at the end of the field at the same time so we’re not wasting water.
“We’re also using soil moisture sensors to get a reading of how much moisture is in the ground.”
John McKee from Friars Point serves on the Yazoo-Mississippi Water Delta Management board, which has been around since 1989.
McKee said the board is promoting the water conservation practices. He estimated there is four feet of rain per year in the Delta.
“We want to be able to catch it and use it for irrigation to save our groundwater,” McKee said. “The future is bright, I think, because we are learning how to conserve more and more and we are learning how to utilize this ample rainfall we have.”
McKee stressed that conservation has always been a priority for farmers.
“Every bit of water costs money, so we don’t want to pump one drop more than we need,” he said. “We want to take care of land and the water. We’re out here every day and we’re ultimately the environmentalists. The best irrigation is free from God.”
Tripp Hayes from Coahoma County serves on the National Resource Conservation Service committee that promotes methods for farmers to conserve water.
Hayes said water meters are installed on at least 10 percent of wells in every county in order to have data coming back on how much water is being used. He also said timers are being installed on the wells so they can be cut off appropriately.
“If you realize the run is about to be out, you can set a timer on it, so it shuts off and doesn’t just run after the irrigation is completed,” Hayes said.
Hayes said farmers throughout the Delta recognize the need to conserve water.
“We are implementing different procedures and methods to serve as much as we can. We want to conserve the aquifer. It also make
