The Ross Barnett Reservoir is an impoundment of the Pearl River between Madison and Rankin counties in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The 33000acre lake serves as the state's largest drinking water resource, and is managed by the Pearl River Valley Water Supply District. The lake features 105mi of shoreline impounded on the south by a 3.5mi man-made dam and spillway. The western shore is bounded by the historic Natchez Trace Parkway.HistoryNamed for Ross R. Barnett, the 52nd Governor of Mississippi, construction on the Ross Barnett Reservoir began in 1960 by MWH Engineering (now MWH Global) under the direction of the Pearl River Valley Water Supply District. The main purpose of the infrastructure project was to create a permanent water source to supply drinking water for the Mississippi capital city of Jackson. Flooding of the Jackson section of the Pearl River had been studied by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers since 1930 and city leaders envisioned commercial and industrial benefits from land reclamation associated with flood control. The Jackson Chamber of Commerce prior to the completion of the reservoir promoted riparian land reclamation with industrial development, a new bypass for U.S. Highway 49 constructed upon a levee, straightening the Pearl River channel and potential navigation. Construction on the lake was completed in 1963, and the water level reached average capacity in 1965. In the 1980s two power companies including the local electricity producer, Mississippi Power and Light Company, made an applications to the federal government authorities to modify the dam to produce hydropower.
