No project is ever complete until the paperwork is done, and that includes the reporting of water use by producers participating in the Voluntary Metering Program in the 19 Delta and part-Delta counties in Mississippi.

The Yazoo-Mississippi Delta Joint Water Management District sent an email to growers Thursday (Jan. 19) reminding them the deadline for submitting their reports on 10 percent of the wells in each county is Feb. 1.

“Thank you to all the Voluntary Metering Program participants who have already submitted their reports,” said the YMD’s email. “If you haven’t sent in your information, please remember that these reports should be submitted by Feb. 1.

The YMD said a total of 1,426 reports had been received as of Jan. 19. That means 271 additional reports needed to be submitted to the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality to meet the goal for voluntary reporting of information from flow meters on irrigation wells in the Delta.

Under the plan developed by the Delta Sustainable Water Resource Task Force, growers were asked to install flow meters on 10 percent of the irrigation wells in the Delta to help gauge how much water is being drawn out of the alluvial aquifer that underlies the region.

The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality’s Office of Land and Water Resources, which is charged with conserving, managing, and protecting the water resources of Mississippi, will use the information to help develop future plans for conserving the aquifer.

MDEQ officials have said they would prefer the program continue to be voluntary, but grower participation is needed to provide the best information for making water conservation plan decisions.

As of Jan. 19, most counties had submitted reports on more than 80 percent of the wells needed to meet the 10 percent level. Only Grenada, Holmes, Humphreys and Sunflower Counties were below 80 percent of their goals for the program.

Growers may return forms mailed to them to the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality or submit their information on line at https://landandwater.deq.ms.gov/WaterUse/GUST.