Vol. 18 Issue 8 August 2021
News from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
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Governor's Gulf Coast Advisory Committee Convenes
Governor Tate Reeves and MDEQ Executive Director Chris Wells kicked off the first meeting of the Governor's Gulf Coast Advisory Committee on August 12 in Diamondhead. The Committee is divided into Tourism, Eco Restoration, Economic Development, Seafood, Infrastructure, Small Business, and Workforce, Research, and Education subcommittees.
The Committee will recommend projects, from those submitted to MDEQ's project portal, to the Governor to be considered for funding under the RESTORE Act.
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Mississippi Restoration Summit - Save the Date
The Mississippi Restoration Summit is scheduled for November 9 at the Mississippi Coast Convention Center in Biloxi.
Stay tuned for more details as the summit draws nearer. Sign up here to join the Restoration email list for updates and upcoming details about the summit.
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enHance Workshop Held and 2020 and 2021 Members Recognized
The annual enHance Workshop and Awards Luncheon was held August 25 in Jackson.
One new member and six renewals were recognized for 2021. The class of 2020 was also recognized due to the cancelation of the annual meeting last year. Three new members and eleven renewing members were part of that group. Read the press release for the list of members and more information here.
The workshop included presentations on various pollution prevention topics and issues. The annual meeting is jointly sponsored by MDEQ’s Pollution Prevention Program and the Mississippi Manufacturers Association.
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Dam Safety Grants Available
The Mississippi Dam Safety Fund, created during the 2020 legislative session, established a fund to allow owners of high hazard dams to apply for a grant to assist them with work on eligible high hazard dams to improve the safety of the structure.
Funds will be available to the owners of high hazard dams that are in Fair, Poor, or Unsatisfactory condition. There is currently a one-time funding amount of $1.94 million available for grants that may be used for draining, repairing, rehabilitating, breaching, or removing high hazard dams to protect downstream lives and property. Repairs and rehabilitation activities must address deficiencies that prevent the dam from being in compliance with the Mississippi high hazard standards. Please see the grant guidelines and application for more information. MDEQ is accepting applications for grant funding through August 27, 2021.
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Staff Change
Tina Nations was recently named Manager of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) Branch in MDEQ’s Office of Restoration. She brings 17 years of state service experience and previously served in the NRDA Branch.
“I am excited to take on this position. The NFWF/NRDA Branch has a lot of restoration projects being implemented. It will be interesting to see what comes out of these projects for restoration along the Mississippi Gulf Coast,” said Nations.
Tina holds Bachelor's and Master’s degrees in Biological Sciences/Aquatic Entomology from Mississippi College and a Ph.D. in Medical Entomology/Public Health Entomology from Mississippi State University. Tina grew up in the Jackson area and resides in Puckett, Mississippi, with her two teenage daughters.
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Staff Change
John Kwoka assumed management of the RESTORE Act Program Branch in MDEQ’s Office of Restoration in August. John has been with MDEQ for six years having previously worked in the Environmental Permits Division before working as a Project Manager in the RESTORE Act Branch for the past three years.
“I am ecstatic to have been given the opportunity to run the RESTORE Program. The team here in the Office of Restoration is second to none, and I look forward to continuing our mission of 'Making Mississippi Whole' through our grants program,” said Kwoka.
John earned Bachelor and Master Degrees in Chemical Engineering from Mississippi State University. He is also a licensed professional engineer in the State of Mississippi. Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, John now lives in Ridgeland with his wife, Melody, and their two dogs, Dakota and Bindi. John enjoys fly fishing, golfing, and backpacking.
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MDEQ Releases Geologic Map of Greenwood Quadrangle for Bolivar, Sunflower, Tallahatchie, Leflore, Carroll, Grenada, Washington, and Coahoma Counties
MDEQ's Office of Geology recently released a set of map products for Bolivar, Sunflower, Tallahatchie, Leflore, Carroll, Grenada, Washington, and Coahoma Counties. It is anticipated that these maps will be useful for further research and for landowners and land development; land, water and wildlife management and conservation; and, to people living and working in this area of the Mississippi Delta.
The research and publication of these maps required more than a year of collaboration that included a detailed analysis of geophysical and remote sensing data, geoarchaeology, stratigraphy, paleontology, and field sampling. Information on how to download and how to purchase physical copies of the map can be found here. Read the press release.
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Starnes Helps Budding Scientists
This summer MDEQ geologist James Starnes led an archaeological excavation class for high school students at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science’s Naturalist Summer Camp. The students conducted a controlled test excavation at the primitive camping area in LeFleur’s Bluff State Park to simulate an archaeological excavation in a professional, scientific manner with the proper tools and techniques. They learned how to do a surface collection, how to excavate a test unit, clean and organize artifacts, how to map features and locations of artifacts and soil profiles both on graph paper and digitally, and how to abandon and backfill an area for future study. The students had a blast, and it was an experience not typically encountered until the latter years of an undergraduate or graduate degree program in anthropology, archaeology, paleontology, geology, or forensics.
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Deadline Approaching for NOx Emissions Reduction Projects Applications
MDEQ invites universities, private organizations, non-profit organizations, businesses, and any county, city, state, or other local government in Mississippi to submit applications to implement cost-effective and innovative projects to reduce NOx emissions.
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Photo of the Month
MDEQ's Leah Drinnon took this photo of a box turtle near Little Brown Creek in Itawamba County during a site visit.
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