Nearly 29,000 acres of Oktibbeha and Lowndes Counties in northeast Mississippi are in the Catalpa Creek Watershed.

Rainfall in the watershed flows into 31 miles of streams and creeks on its way to Columbus Lake and the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway.

The watershed includes part of the city of Starkville and portions of the Mississippi State University campus and farm facilities, as well as privately owned lands.

Current land cover includes hay and pastureland, cultivated crops, developed properties, and wetlands or open water.

University research activities and development in the city and on campus are contributing to stream, ecosystem, and water quality degradation in the watershed.

The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality currently lists Catalpa Creek as impaired and in need of restoration. Agricultural resource concerns identified for the watershed include sedimentation, grazing, sustainable forestry, and declining wildlife habitat.

Urban storm water management is also a key need. In response to these issues, the Catalpa Creek Watershed Restoration and Protection Project was initiated.