Following the 1988 drought during which some irrigators were required to cease pumping from Delta streams due to extremely low flows, the Yazoo Mississippi Delta Joint Water Management District (YMD), a state governing authority, was created in 1989 to develop local, non-regulatory solutions to the Delta’s growing water resource challenges with emphasis on water supply. 

To create YMD, county boards of supervisors of counties with support from agricultural interests in the Mississippi Delta adopted a charter.  Initially, the District included 16 counties, but was expanded in 1991 to include 17 counties.  State law authorizes the creation of joint water management districts for a range of purposes.  However, the YMD charter authorizes creation of the District for the following purposes:

1.    Promoting and maintaining the water resources conservation, management and development;

2.    Establishing and implementing water supply, water quality, and water utilization plans and programs;

3.    Sponsoring, acquiring, or constructing devices or measures to insure predictably adequate water supplies for domestic, agricultural, commercial, and industrial uses;

4.    Participating in water resources planning and management programs of appropriate state, federal, and local agencies;

5.    Financing such measures; and

6.    Other functions as from time to time may be necessary or appropriate to implement the policies of the District.

The powers, duties, and responsibilities of the District are vested in a Board of Commissioners, appointed by county boards of supervisors.  The number of commissioners each county has on the Board is based on the total assessed valuation of property in the county.  As of 2019, the Board includes 29 commissioners.

State law prohibits YMD from becoming involved in flood control projects.  In addition, the District is not involved with providing water-related utility services (sewer or drinking water) and does not review permit applications for use of water for industrial or as cooling water in electric power production.

Basic operating expenses of the District are supported by a tax millage levy up to ¾ mils on all taxable property within the District.  For the 2020 fiscal year, the applied tax rate is ¾ mils.  State law strictly limits the use of millage-related funds for water management project purposes.

To fund water management projects, The Board of Commissioners is authorized to issue revenue bonds and special improvement bonds.  Once projects are operational, the Board may assess rates, fees, tolls, and charges.

YMD implements its agricultural water resources management responsibilities through four major program missions.  Since the early 1990s, YMD has been processing applications for use of groundwater and surface water for agricultural purposes.  The agricultural water use permitting program has expanded from a few thousand permits to more than 25,000 permits in the Mississippi Delta.  More information on that program is under the Permitting tab on the Home Page.

YMD personnel have also been involved with the development and/or implementation of water resources management projects across the Delta.  Projects include a wellfield in Coahoma County to support aquatic life at times of the year when flows in the Sunflower River are low to water control structures at Hollandale, Clarksdale, Bee Lake, Lake Henry, Roebuck Lake, Williams Bayou, Harris Bayou, Fighting Bayou, and others.  The agency worked with the Corps of Engineers for several years to examine the impacts of transferring water from the Tallahatchie River to the Quiver River.  YMD staff have also been and continue to be significantly involved in promoting and assisting in the implementation of agricultural water use efficiency measures/water conservation measures.  YMD continues to work with other federal and state agencies and interested organizations, as well as, the U.S. Geological Survey to consider and evaluate water management alternatives to reduce groundwater declines in the Mississippi Delta. A partial list of projects can be found under the Projects tab on the Home Page.

Twice a year, YMD leads an effort that includes staff from MDEQ and USGS to measure groundwater levels in the Mississippi River Valley Alluvial Aquifer.  Measurements are made in April and again in October.  These months are used because they represent water levels before and after the irrigation season.  Measurements are gathered from a network of approximately 500 survey wells located throughout the Delta.  Results of the survey are forwarded to the U.S. Geological Survey where they are included in the regional groundwater model and are compared to previous measurements so that determinations can be made regarding changes in annual water levels, as well as long-term trends.

YMD’s fourth mission area involves water resources planning.  Sound planning helps identify the stresses placed on regional water resources, the impacts of those stresses on water availability and quality, as well as aquatic life, and options and opportunities to mitigate or avoid such stresses.  The YMD Board of Commissioners adopted the first Water Management Plan in January 2006.  As required by law, the plan was submitted to the Mississippi Commission on Environmental Quality for approval and in May 2006, the Commission granted its approval.  A copy of the 2006 Plan can be found under the Publications tab on the Home Page.