The Leaf and Chickasawhay Rivers, right here in my neighborhood, join at Merrill Mississippi  about 13 miles away, to form the Pascagoula River.
This is from Eco Tours Of South Mississippi: The Pascagoula River, the longest unimpeded river in the lower 48 states, flows 80 miles from its confluence to the Gulf of Mexico. Alligators, and migratory birds, pelicans, ospreys, egrets, even bald eagles are abundant along with other wild life. 300 species of plants including wild lilies and orchids enhance the beauty of bayous.
Now folks, THIS is the river the Dept. of Energy has selected to draw 50 MILLION gallons of water a day from, in order to flush out a salt dome at Richton (20 miles north of me) in order to store strategic oil reserves in. The project slowed for a while, but now it's back on, and unfortunately President Obama has allocated millions of dollars for this crime against nature to proceed. He is a sensitive intelligent man. I don't believe he knows this project will destroy a river.
That's only the half of it. The brine from flushing out the salt domes will have to be piped down to the Gulf of Mexico and discharged into the bay. Environmentalist on the Coast have organized against this, saying it will destroy the seafood industry. But congressman Gene Taylor, a cowardly wimp, has sucked up to the DOE and is not standing against this desecration.
There are already salt domes in Louisiana and Texas where oil is stored. Use those facilities. Please don't trash the special and beautiful Pascagoula River!
susil