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Ross Barnett Reservoir

Coordinates: 32°27′26″N 90°01′04″W / 32.4571°N 90.0179°W / 32.4571; -90.0179
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Ross Barnett Reservoir
July sunset at the Ross Barnett Reservoir, showing the public fishing pier on Spillway Road.
Location of Ross Barnett Reservoir in Mississippi, USA.
Location of Ross Barnett Reservoir in Mississippi, USA.
Ross Barnett Reservoir
Location of Ross Barnett Reservoir in Mississippi, USA.
Location of Ross Barnett Reservoir in Mississippi, USA.
Ross Barnett Reservoir
LocationMadison and Rankin counties, Mississippi, U.S.
Coordinates32°27′26″N 90°01′04″W / 32.4571°N 90.0179°W / 32.4571; -90.0179
Lake typeReservoir
Primary inflowsPearl River
Primary outflowsPearl River
Basin countriesUnited States
Max. length16 mi (25.74 km)
Max. width7 mi (11.26 km)
Surface area52 sq mi (134.67 sq km)
Average depth12 ft (3.66 m)
Max. depth60 ft (18.2 m)
Shore length1105 mi (168.95 km)
SettlementsJackson, Brandon, Ridgeland, Madison, and Canton, Mississippi, U.S.
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

The Ross Barnett Reservoir, often called the Rez, is a reservoir of the Pearl River between Madison and Rankin counties in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The 33,000-acre (130 km2) lake serves as the state's largest drinking water resource, and is managed by the Pearl River Valley Water Supply District. The lake features 105 miles (169 km) of shoreline impounded on the south by a 3.5-mile (5.6 km) man-made dam and spillway. The western shore is bounded by the historic Natchez Trace Parkway.[1]

History

Construction on the Ross Barnett Reservoir began in 1960 by MWH Engineering (now MWH Global)[2][3] under the direction of the Pearl River Valley Water Supply District. The main purpose of the infrastructure project was to create a permanent water source to supply drinking water for the Mississippi capital city of Jackson. Flooding of the Jackson section of the Pearl River had been studied by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers since 1930 and city leaders envisioned commercial and industrial benefits from land reclamation associated with flood control.[4] The Jackson Chamber of Commerce prior to the completion of the reservoir promoted riparian land reclamation with industrial development, a new bypass for U.S. Highway 49 constructed upon a levee, straightening the Pearl River channel and potential navigation.[5] Construction on the lake was completed in 1963, and the water level reached average capacity in 1965. The August 17, 1969 passage of Hurricane Camille over the reservoir caused the surface to tilt and created a one foot level increase at the dam.[6] As part of a national survey the federal government sampled five Mississippi reservoirs in 1973 and determined the Ross Barnett waters to be eutrophic, ranking second among the Mississippi reservoirs in overall trophic quality.[7] In the 1980s two power companies including the local electricity producer, Mississippi Power and Light Company, made applications to the federal government authorities to modify the dam to produce hydropower.[8]

The 1979 Easter flood at Jackson initiated planning to create additional levees below the reservoir and studies of a 68 foot high, dry dam called Shoccoe above the reservoir.[9]

Waterspouts occurred in the reservoir on April 15, 2011, August 19, 2012 and July 23, 2014.[10]

Planning began to provide parks and recreation areas in conjunction with the newly formed lake. Today, the Ross Barnett Reservoir serves as a significant water source, a major recreational area, and a catalyst for residential and economic development. There are 4,600 homes along the reservoir in Madison and Rankin counties.[11]

Name controversy

The reservoir is named for Ross R. Barnett, the 53rd governor of Mississippi, who was known nationwide for his vigorous support for segregation. This has led to multiple petitions[12][13][14] and other calls for the name to be changed.[15][16][17]

Management

The Ross Barnett Reservoir is managed by the Pearl River Valley Water Supply District (PRVWSD), an agency of the State of Mississippi. In addition to recreation, the reservoir serves as the primary source of drinking water for the City of Jackson's O. B. Curtis Water Treatment Plant. Water released into the Pearl River is monitored and controlled from an electrical/mechanical spillway and gate system that is part of a man-made earthen dam comprising most of the lake's southern shore. The maximum output of the 10-gate spillway is 170,000 cubic feet per second (cfs). The guaranteed minimum flow was not included in the statute creating the reservoir, but the 173 cfs flow was included in the operational permit.[18] The final design of the reservoir could not be purposed as a flood control project.[19] The target elevation for the lake is 297.5 feet (90.7 m) above sea level in the summer; 297.0 feet (90.5 m) in the winter.[20][21] The average depth is 11 feet, water clarity is 2 feet with occasions of 8 feet, and the water color is stained. The lowest pool level in the last eight years was 294 feet MLS according to a 1996 boating map, but the lowest pool was 293.68 feet according to federal data for 2000.[22][23] Drought conditions occurred in 2007 prompting local concerns.[24] Seismic tests were performed 80 feet below the surface of the reservoir in the fall of 2012 by an energy company.[25]

Recreation

Each year over two million people visit the Ross Barnett Reservoir for outdoor recreation: types include boating, fishing, water-skiing, and camping. There are five campgrounds, 16 parks, 22 boat launches, three handicapped-accessible trails, two multi-purpose trails, and a mountain bike trail which meanders near Mule Jail Lake.[26][27] Two state records come from the reservoir: Smallmouth buffalo (57 lbs 12 oz) and Bowfin (18 lbs 14 oz). In 1974, a state record Paddlefish of 65 lbs was caught at the spillway.[28] In 1978 the Bassmaster Classic World Championship was held at the reservoir.[29] In late March 2019 fishermen reported abundant and large Black crappie when normally White crappie are the main catch.[30]

Notes

  1. ^ "Welcome to the Ross Barnett Reservoir". Therez.ms. Retrieved 2012-01-02.
  2. ^ "Work to fix Reservoir leak begins - WLBT 3 - Jackson, MS". Wlbt.com. 2010-07-21. Retrieved 2012-01-02.
  3. ^ [1] Archived August 20, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ (26 October 1930). "Dredging of Pearl Urged" Clarion Ledger. (Jackson) p1. and (2 March 1947) "Engineers, C.C. will study Pearl Flood Control" Jackson Daily News. (Jackson): also in Miss. Dept of Archives & History. "Pearl River Flood Control 1930-1947". "Pearl River 0-1969". Subject files.
  5. ^ Real, Jere. (30 March 1960) "Broad industrial project mapped". Jackson Daily News. (Jackson) also in Mississippi Dept. of Archives and History. "Pearl River 0-1969". Subject file.
  6. ^ United States Geological Survey. U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 2375 National Water Summary 1988-89--Floods and Droughts: Mississippi. USGS website Retrieved 11 October 2017.
  7. ^ United States. Environmental Protection Agency. Region IV.; National Eutrophication Survey (U.S.); Mississippi. Mississippi Air and Water Pollution.; Mississippi. National Guard. (1975). Report on Ross Barnett Reservoir, Jackson, Madison and Rankin Counties, Mississippi : EPA Region IV. Corvallis, Or. : Corvallis Environmental Research Laboratory ; Las Vegas, Nev. : Environmental Monitoring & Support Laboratory. p. 1. EPA website Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  8. ^ Mississippi Power and Light Company.; United States. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. (1984) Ross R. Barnett hydroelectric project : application for license : major project--existing dam at Ross R. Barnett Reservoir near Jackson, Mississippi. Jackson, Miss. : , Mississippi Power & Light Company. WorldCat website
  9. ^ Dunbar, J.B. and Coulters, F.J. (1988). Geomorphic investigation of the Shoccoe Dam Project Area / (Record no. 14869). Vicksburg, Miss.: Geotechnical Laboratory, U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station, p. 4.
  10. ^ "NWS Jackson, MS - July 23, 2014 Ross Barnett Reservoir Waterspout" . National Weather Service website Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  11. ^ "Rezonate — The History". Rezonate-ms.org. Retrieved 2012-01-02.
  12. ^ "The Ross Barnett Reservoir is Named After a Segregationist: A Call to Change". SuperTalk Mississippi. 21 November 2013. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  13. ^ "Petition · Rename the Ross Barnett Reservoir · Change.org". archive.today. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  14. ^ Damm, Mary. "Petition · Rename the Ross Barnett Reservoir · Change.org". archive.today. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  15. ^ Little, Christine. "Mississippi honors segregationist governor: Column". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  16. ^ Ladd, Donna; Griffin, Kimberly (5 July 2020). "Mississippi's racist state flag has finally come down. Now the real work begins | Kimberly Griffin and Donna Ladd". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  17. ^ Nave, R. L. "Ross Barnett Rez Name-Change Effort Certain to Draw Racist Vitriol". jacksonfreepress.com. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  18. ^ Flow Requirements Jackson, MS Figure 5. Appendix "H" Municipal and Industrial Water Supply and Water Quality Control. Pearl River Comprehensive Basin Study. Vol. 7. (1965) Southeastern Comprehensive Water Pollution Control Project. p. H-9 & H-114
  19. ^ "Barnett Reservoir Board of Directors adopts new lake level plan". (Press Release). Pearl River Valley Water Supply District. 18 April 2013. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  20. ^ "Ross Barnett Reservoir: The Control Tower". Pearl River Valley Water Supply District. 2010-07-14. Retrieved 2012-01-02.
  21. ^ "Ross Barnett Reservoir: Press Releases". Pearl River Valley Water Supply District. 2013-04-18. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
  22. ^ United States Geological Survey. (2015) USGS Water Resources USGS website
  23. ^ FHS Maps. "Lake Profile". Ross Barnett Reservoir Fishing and Boating Map. Mississippi Series. (Map) (1996)
  24. ^ Northway, Wally. (July 9, 2007) "Drought conditions affecting summer fun". Mississippi Business Journal. (Jackson) Retrieved 28 September 2015. Miss. Business Journal website
  25. ^ "Reservoir blasts for carbon dioxide". WAPT News. 2012-09-06. Retrieved 21 September 2015. WAPT TV website.
  26. ^ "Ross Barnett Reservoir Multi-Purpose Trails" (PDF). Barnett Reservoir. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-03-26. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
  27. ^ "Rezonate — The History". Rezonate-ms.org. Retrieved 2012-01-02.
  28. ^ State of Mississippi. Miss. Dept. of Wildlife Fisheries and Parks. "Freshwater Fishing Records". Retrieved September 29, 2015. Dept of Wildlife Fisheries and Parks website
  29. ^ Trail Finder. "Ross Barnett Reservoir" Trails website Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  30. ^ Broom, Brian. (March 29, 2019). "'I knew it was going to be good, but not this good.' The Rez giving up huge crappie." Clarion Ledger website Retrieved 31 March 2019.

References

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