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The Pascagoula River Basin (see figure) covers an area of about 8,800 square miles in southeastern Mississippi. The Pascagoula River is formed by the confluence of the Chickasawhay and the Leaf Rivers. From this confluence, the river flows southward for about 80 miles before emptying into the Gulf of Mexico. Okatoma Creek, a tributary of the Leaf River, is a particular favorite to canoeists. The Escatawpa River, located mostly in Alabama, flows into the Pascagoula River very near the Gulf Coast. Elevations in the Pascagoula River Basin range from sea level to about 650 feet (0 to 198 meters) above sea level. About 72 percent of the basin is forested, and about 21 percent is agricultural land. Near the coast are low-lying flatlands and marshlands. Farther inland, the landforms consist primarily of low rolling hills and broad, flat flood plains. The economy of the area is based, as it has been since prior to the Civil War, heavily on lumber, the manufacture of wood products, and shipbuilding. The city of Pascagoula on the densely populated Mississippi Gulf Coast is one of the great shipbuilding centers of the world. Tourism, commercial fishing, and oil and gas production are also significant components of the economy in the basin.  The flow of the Pascagoula River near Merrill averages about 75,700 gallons per second. Flow has been as low as about 5,270 gallons per second and as high as about 1,330,000 gallons per second. Use of surface water in the Pascagoula River Basin is relatively large. About 3.3 million gallons per day are used for irrigation, about 4.2 million gallons per day are used for livestock, and about 49 million gallons per day are used for industry. Stream conditions in the Pascagoula River Basin are mostly natural, or unmodified in appearance and have clear water. Some streams are considered "black-water streams" because they are stained by tannic acid leached from vegetation. Water quality generally is good to excellent with only localized contamination problems. Historically, industrial point sources and urban runoff near major population centers have caused water quality problems. |