Water is vital for the life and health of people and ecosystems, and is a basic condition for the development of countries. Water resources and the related ecosystems which are sustained by water, are under threat from pollution, unsustainable use, land-usage changes, climate changes and many other forces. Water quality standards were adopted in Mississippi in 1995 to promote and upgrade water quality standards within the State. The purpose of this study was to determine the prescence of contaminants in the lower Mississippi River in the areas of Port Gibson and Natchez, MS and to find out if the water meets the water quality standards for Mississippi.  The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality has set regulations to protect water quality. During the summer and fall seasons of 2009, water samples were collected from the Mississippi River in Port Gibson, MS at three different sites for three consecutive weeks. During the winter season, in 2010, water samples were collected from the Mississippi River in Natchez, MS at three different sites for three consecutive weeks. The water samples were taken to the Alcorn State University Laboratory and tested according to the directions of the manufacturers of Lamotte water pollution detection kits. The chemical parameters tested and recorded in parts per million (PPM) were ammonia-nitrogen, calcium, carbon dioxide, chlorides, cholorine, fluoride, hardness, magnesium, nitrate, pH, phosphate, sulfate and sulfide.

Results/Conclusions

Based on the results, the water samples met the Mississippi Water Quality Criteria with the exception of hardness.