Mississippi Water Stewards

About

The Mississippi Water Stewards Program (MSWS) was developed through the Mississippi State Extension Service to serve as a statewide citizen based-water monitoring and education program. The program depends on trained citizen volunteers to monitor water quality in the major watersheds of Mississippi. The mission of the MSWS is to improve citizen awareness and engagement in the protection of Mississippi’s water resources. Protection of water resources through education and outreach will build transparency and public participation in the protection of the states’ unique water resources and ecosystems, thereby protecting the Gulf of Mexico.

The long-term vision of the MSWS program is to have the capacity in every watershed in Mississippi for citizens to understand water local issues, respond via monitoring if necessary, and to lead local efforts for protecting water resources through scientifically-sound actionable solutions.

Water testing protocol

Each citizen is trained in EPA-approved testing methods for water chemistry and bacteriological parameters.

Water chemistry testing includes: Temperature, pH, Alkalinity, Hardness, Dissolved Oxygen, and Turbidity utilizing standardized methods, test kits are manufactured by LaMotte.
Bacteriological testing includes: culturing of fecal coliforms utilizing Coliscan Easygel methodology in triplicate followed by calculation of coliform forming units (CFUs).

Areas monitored