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Pat Harrison Waterway District (PHWD) is a
When the Waterway District was created in 1962, its main mission was flood control for rivers and their tributaries along the
As of 2014, three counties (Forrest, Jasper, and Lamar) had withdrawn from the District.
In the summer of 2018, PHWD moved out of their 56-year-old office building located at 6081 U.S. Route 49 south, as part of a lawsuit settlement with Forrest County. In September 2018, Forrest County Board of Supervisors ordered the demolition of the county-owned building, including its distinctive mural on the front facade, to facilitate future road construction near Forrest General Hospital.
Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
State Agency with headquarters in Hattiesburg
Hattiesburg is a city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, located primarily in Forrest County (where it is the county seat and largest city) and extending west into Lamar County. The city population was 45,989 at the 2010 census, with the populat ...
. The agency was created in 1962 with a directive of flood control in southeastern and east central Mississippi.
History and mission
When the Waterway District was created in 1962, its main mission was flood control for rivers and their tributaries along the Pascagoula River
The Pascagoula River is a river, about 80 miles (130 km) long, in southeastern Mississippi in the United States. The river drains an area of about 8,800 square miles (23,000 km²) and flows into Mississippi Sound of the Gulf of Mexic ...
Basin in southeastern and east central Mississippi. In addition to flood control, the agency's mission expanded to include water management and recreation. The District derives its name from Pat Harrison
Byron Patton "Pat" Harrison (August 29, 1881June 22, 1941) was a Mississippi politician who served as a Democrat in the United States House of Representatives from 1911 to 1919 and in the United States Senate from 1919 until his death.
Early li ...
, who served Mississippi as U.S. Representative
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
(1911–19) and Senator (1919-41).
Funding
Funding for PHWD comes from ad valorem taxes collected in member Counties, park recreation fees, timber sales, and interest from investments. PHWD is governed by an 18-member Board of Directors, with one Director appointed from each of the 15 member Counties and three Directors appointed by theGovernor of Mississippi
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
. Full-time employees are located at the central office in Hattiesburg and at the District's eight water parks.
Member counties
Originally, there were 15 Mississippi counties in the Pat Harrison Waterway District: *Clarke County Clarke County may refer to:
;Places
*One of five counties in the United States:
**Clarke County, Alabama
**Clarke County, Georgia
**Clarke County, Iowa
**Clarke County, Mississippi
**Clarke County, Virginia
Clarke County is a county in the Com ...
* Covington County
*Forrest County
Forrest County is located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 74,934. Its county seat and largest city is Hattiesburg. The county was created from Perry County in 1908 and named in honor of Nathan Bedfor ...
* George County
* Greene County
* Jackson County
* Jasper County
* Jones County
* Lamar County
* Lauderdale County
* Newton County
* Perry County
* Smith County
* Stone County
* Wayne County
As of 2014, three counties (Forrest, Jasper, and Lamar) had withdrawn from the District.
In the summer of 2018, PHWD moved out of their 56-year-old office building located at 6081 U.S. Route 49 south, as part of a lawsuit settlement with Forrest County. In September 2018, Forrest County Board of Supervisors ordered the demolition of the county-owned building, including its distinctive mural on the front facade, to facilitate future road construction near Forrest General Hospital.
Water resources
Water resources in the Pascagoula River Basin, over which Pat Harrison Waterway District has jurisdiction, include: *Big Creek * Black Creek *Bogue Homa Lake *Bossie Creek *Buckatunna Creek Buckatunna Creek is a stream in the U.S. state of Mississippi. It is a tributary to the Chickasawhay River.
''Buckatunna Creek'' is a name derived from the Choctaw language meaning "creek at which there is weaving". Variant names are "Bucatunna Cre ...
*Chickasawhay River
The Chickasawhay River is a river, about long, in southeastern Mississippi in the United States. It is a principal tributary of the Pascagoula River, which flows to the Gulf of Mexico. The Chickasawhay's tributaries also drain a portion of we ...
*Chunky River
The Chunky River is a short tributary of the Chickasawhay River in east-central Mississippi. Via the Chickasawhay, it is part of the watershed of the Pascagoula River, which flows into the Gulf of Mexico.
Course
The river is formed between the t ...
*Escatawpa River
Escatawpa River is a river in the states of Alabama and Mississippi. It is a tributary of the Pascagoula River.
''Escatawpa '' is a name derived from the Choctaw language meaning "where Canebrake, cane is cut".
See also
*List of rivers of Alaba ...
*Gains Creek
* Leaf River
*Little Black Creek
* Okatoma Creek
*Pascagoula River
The Pascagoula River is a river, about 80 miles (130 km) long, in southeastern Mississippi in the United States. The river drains an area of about 8,800 square miles (23,000 km²) and flows into Mississippi Sound of the Gulf of Mexic ...
* Red Creek
* Tallahala Creek
*Thompson Creek
Water parks
The agency oversees eight water parks with public amenities that include camp sites, boat launches, cabins, picnic areas, swimming areas, and meeting facilities. *Archusa Creek Water Park ( Quitman, MS) *Big Creek Water Park ( Soso, MS) *Dry Creek Water Park ( Mount Olive, MS) *Dunns Falls Water Park ( Enterprise, MS) * Flint Creek Water Park (Wiggins
Team Wiggins Le Col (), also known as ''Team Wiggins'' in media, was a professional developmental cycling team based in the United Kingdom, which began competing in elite road bicycle racing and track cycling in 2015. The team folded at the e ...
)
*Maynor Creek Water Park ( Waynesboro, MS)
*Okatibbee Water Park (Meridian, MS
Meridian is the seventh largest city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, with a population of 41,148 at the 2010 census and an estimated population in 2018 of 36,347. It is the county seat of Lauderdale County and the principal city of the Merid ...
)
*Turkey Creek Water Park ( Decatur, MS)
Little Black Creek Water Park (Lumberton, MS
Lumberton is a city in Lamar and Pearl River counties, Mississippi, United States. It is part of the Hattiesburg, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,086 at the 2010 census.
History
The city was named for the local l ...
) was formerly managed by PHWD, but was leased to a private developer in 2013.
References
{{Authority control State agencies of Mississippi Parks in Mississippi Environment of Mississippi Government agencies established in 1962 1962 establishments in Mississippi