The bioreactor is a trench of wood chips under the filter fabric shown above. The fabric allows water to flow in and out while keeping the wood chips in place.
One of the keys to the Conservancy’s success in the last 60 years is our partnerships with organizations and individuals to help meet our mission of conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends.
Thanks to such collaborations in the Delta counties of Mississippi, the Conservancy is helping improve air, water and soil quality for residents and visitors alike.
Thanks to generous support from Entergy Corporation, the Conservancy has been able to plant approximately 400,000 bottomland hardwood tree seedlings on more than 900 acres of Yazoo National Wildlife Refuge. The trees help hold soil in place (reducing erosion into area waterways and keep sediments and pollutants from reaching the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico), remove carbon from the air, and provide additional habitat for game species and other animals in the area.
Another partnership with Delta Wildlife supported by the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) has included the installation of a created wetland (pictured above) to trap and treat nutrient- and sediment-laden runoff from approximately 450 adjacent acres of surrounding agricultural lands. The area is intended as a demonstration site, with techniques replicable on private lands throughout the area. Another component is the installation of two 'bioreactors'. These two areas slow water and use biological processes to break down pollutants in the runoff.
These projects continue the Conservancy’s long-standing commitment to improving habitats, communities and economic growth in areas across Mississippi. Thank you to our current and future partners from businesses, government agencies, other nonprofit organizations, foundations, as well as individual members, for all your support—we couldn’t do it without you!February 21, 2012