Skip to main content

About Water Resources


Located on the campus of Mississippi State University, the Institute administers and coordinates research programs dealing with water and related resources. (It is one of the state institutes authorized by Section 104 of The Water Resources Research Act of 1984). Its activities are developed in close consultation and collaboration between the Institute and leading water resources officials within the State.

The purpose of the program is to provide a coordinated research and development program that contributes to the solution of water and water-related land use problems in Mississippi, the region, and the nation.

The Institute's Goals


  • to provide a center of expertise in water and associated land-use problems and serve as a repository of knowledge for use in education, research, planning, and community service
  • to serve public and private interests in the conservation, development, and use of water resources
  • to provide training opportunities in higher education whereby skilled professionals become available to serve government and private sector alike
  • to assist planning and regulatory bodies at the local, state, regional, and federal levels
  • to communicate research findings to potential users in a form that encourages quick comprehension and direct application to a water-related problem
  • to assist state agencies in the development and maintenance of a state water management plan

Advisory Board


  • Dr. Don Christy
    Yazoo Mississippi Delta Joint Water Management District

  • Dr. Pat Deliman
    CEERD-EP-E

  • Mr. Mike Freiman
    Director, Surface Water Division, Office of Pollution Control, Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality

  • Mr. Mark Gilbert
    Executive Director, Mississippi Soil & Water Conservation Commission

  • Mr. Lester Herrington
    Mississippi State Department of Health

  • Mr. Frank Howell
    Delta Council

  • The Honorable Dane Maxwell
    Mississippi Public Service Commission

  • Mr. Kirby Mayfield
    CEO, Mississippi Rural Water Association

  • Dr. Jami Nettles
    Weyerhaeuser Company

  • Mr. Jimmy Palmer, Jr.
    Attorney At Law (at large member)

  • Mr. George Ramseur, Jr.
    Mississippi Department of Marine Resources

  • Mr. Kurt Readus
    USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

  • Mr. Richard Rebich
    Associate Director, Hydrologic Transport and Response Branch, US Geological Survey

  • Mr. Thomas W. Richardson
    Deputy Director, Center for Excellence, Analysis and Response For Coastal Hazards Jackson State University

  • Dr. Alan Shiller
    University of Southern Mississippi

  • Mr. John Sigman
    General Manager, Pearl River Valley Water Supply District

  • Dr. LaDon Swann
    Director, MS-AL SeaGrant Consortium

  • Mr. Andy Whittington
    Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation

  • Ms. Kay Whittington
    Director, Office of Land and Water Resources, Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality

  • Dr. Kristine Willett
    University of Mississippi