NATCHEZ — Natchez’s own port director was recently named president of a statewide group whose aim is to rally state and Washington, D.C., officials to promote Mississippi’s waterways.

Natchez-Adams Port Commission Director Anthony Hauer was chosen last month to be the president of Mississippi Water Resources Association, a nonprofit group.

Hauer said as president, one of his duties is to be the spokesperson to the U.S. Congress on behalf of Mississippi’s waterways.

The group, which is in its 53rd year of existence, promotes the advancement of ports, harbors, recreation, water supply, development and management and all other uses for water.

Promoting the state’s two largest rivers, the Mississippi and Tombigbee rivers, is a priority of the group’s efforts, Hauer said.

“(MWRA) wishes to bring Mississippi’s water resources to the world and highlight that resource that we call the river,” Hauer said.

Hauer said Mississippi’s rivers are underused, and as president, he will work to increase river traffic and freight flow down their banks.

“(River transportation) is environmentally friendly, efficient and cost-effective. It simply makes sense,” he said.

He said 90-percent of the raw materials that go into the items people encounter every day were at one point transported via water, and Mississippi should take advantage of the market.

As president, Hauer will also conduct the four MWRA meetings a year for the two years he will be serving as president.

He is also the main point of contact for the group.

Hauer said water organizations similar to MWRA exist nationwide. Membership for MWRC is not restricted to Mississippians, however, but anyone who uses Mississippi waterways.

Hauer has been port director and a member of MWRA since 2003 and has worked at the Natchez-Adams Port for 26 years.

He said of MWRAs 96 public and private members, some are government entities, such as port authorities and others are private corporations who stand to benefit from improved river resources, such as engineering and trucking or other transportation companies.

At the association’s recent conference, Hauer helped promote Natchez as the next site of the MWRA conference, which is set for Sept. 7-9, 2011, at the Grand Hotel. The last conference in November was in Bay Saint Louis and nearly 200 people attended.

Hauer said the attendance count for the September conference in Natchez has already exceeded 200 guests because additional nonmember groups, such as transportation companies, have agreed to attend. Hauer said locally, the port is doing well, but it can always use improvements, such as more land to expand in order to attract more industry.

“There is lots of room to grow,” Hauer said.

Hauer said those interested in becoming members of MWRA can contact him at the port commission or visit the website at www.mswater.org.

“Hopefully we can get additional members out of Natchez, and it would be swell if we did it under this two-year term,” Hauer said.

After serving two years as president, Hauer will become chairman of the association for two years and have the authority to choose the next president from a group of nominees.