Welcome! The Pearl River Valley Water Supply District is the state agency responsible for managing the 33,000-acre Barnett Reservoir and the 17,000 acres surrounding the lake. The District carries out its multi-purpose mission without local tax dollars or general funding from the state legislature.
A Board of Directors, representing four state agencies and five counties, approves plans and projects for the District.
CURRENTLY THE DISTRICT...
- Provides a water supply for the City of Jackson.
- Provides water and sewer service for District leaseholders.
- Maintains the Barnett Dam and monitors water quality in cooperation with the Mississippi Department of Health and the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality.
- Provides recreational opportunities that include managing 48 recreational facilities for an estimated 2.5 million annual visitors. Visitors can relax at five campgrounds, 16 parks, 22 boat launches, four handicap-accessible boat launches, three handicapped-accessible fishing piers, and 23 miles of trails. Each campground has an on-site Reservoir Police manager. In conjunction with private and public sectors, the District has also developed five marinas, four baseball/soccer complexes, and two golf courses.
- Develops quality residential communities on Reservoir property, totaling 66 subdivisions and over 5,800 homes to date, maintained by comprehensive subdivision regulations, architectural review guidelines, active homeowners' associations, and protective covenants.
- Provides safe, family-friendly environments with Reservoir Police officers that service the Reservoir and its facilities. Each officer is a law enforcement academy graduate, fully certified by the State of Mississippi. Reservoir campground managers are also fully trained, state-licensed members of the Reservoir Police.
- Cooperates with other agencies and the U.S. Corps of Engineers to provide flood mitigation for downstream properties.
- Provides multiple-use management of over 10,000 acres of forest land, including wildlife and watershed protection.