Delta Mitigation Bank

The Delta Mitigation Bank (DMB) is an approved freshwater wetland mitigation bank located in Tallahatchie County, Mississippi, within the Yazoo River Basin. The bank consists of former agricultural lands (catfish ponds and row-cropped fields) restored to bottomland hardwood wetlands to provide compensatory mitigation for unavoidable impacts to Waters of the United States pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act.

The Delta Mitigation Bank delivers long-term ecological benefits through large-scale wetland restoration, permanent protection, and professionally managed mitigation services for permit applicants.

Watershed & Service Area

• Watershed: Yazoo River Basin
• Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC): 080302
• Service Area:
  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Vicksburg District (Northern Mississippi)
  • Portions of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Memphis District (Northern and Western Mississippi)
  • Use outside adjacent HUCs allowed on a case-by-case basis

Mitigation Bank Overview

• Total Property Area: 610 acres
• Mitigation Area:
  • 503 acres of restored bottomland hardwood wetlands
  • 44.1 acres of vegetatively enhanced ridges and levees (enhancement credits)

Mitigation Activities

• Restoration of bottomland hardwood wetlands
• Enhancement of former levees and low ridges
• Hydrologic restoration through ditch blocking, levee breaching, and water control
• Long-term maintenance, monitoring, and adaptive management

Historically, the site consisted of catfish ponds and row-cropped agricultural lands with hydric soils. Restoration activities reestablish natural wetland hydrology and native forested wetland communities characteristic of the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley.

Types of Credits

• Credit Basis: Wetland acreage (Charleston Method)
• Primary Credit Type: Forested wetland mitigation credits
• Additional Credits: Enhancement credits from vegetated levees and ridges

Credit release occurs in phases based on construction milestones, planting, hydrologic restoration, and attainment of success criteria, as approved by the Mitigation Bank Review Team (MBRT).

Conservation & Long-Term Stewardship

The Delta Mitigation Bank is permanently protected through recorded Mitigation Covenants that:

• Run with the land in perpetuity
• Prohibit development, agriculture, and timber harvest within mitigation areas
• Allow compatible uses such as hunting and fishing

Long-Term Management

• Perpetual stewardship by the Sponsor, successors, or an approved conservation entity
• Ongoing monitoring to ensure wetland functionality and regulatory compliance
• Implementation of corrective actions when necessary

Environmental Benefits

The Delta Mitigation Bank provides significant regional ecological benefits, including:

• Restoration of large-scale bottomland hardwood wetlands
• Improved flood storage and water quality in the Yazoo River Basin
• Enhanced habitat for migratory birds, amphibians, reptiles, and other wildlife
• Increased landscape connectivity within an intensively agricultural region

Advantages for Permit Applicants

Purchasing mitigation credits from the Delta Mitigation Bank offers:

• Regulatory certainty for Section 404 permitting
• Streamlined approval timelines
• Elimination of long-term mitigation liability
• Professionally managed, ecologically viable mitigation
• Watershed-based compensatory mitigation
  • Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality

Location Summary

• County: Tallahatchie County, Mississippi
• Mitigation Bank Name: Delta Mitigation Bank
• Primary Habitat Type: Bottomland hardwood forested wetlands
• Regulatory Status: Approved Mitigation Bank Agreement (January 2001)