citizens quide to alabama rivers: Alabama, coosa and tallapoosa

Citizen Guide
to
Alabama Rivers
Alabama,
Coosa
and
Tallapoosa
Volume 2
Summer 2002
Alabama, Coosa and Tallapoosa ❖ 1
CONTENTS
THE W
ATER ENVIR
ONMENT
WA
ENVIRONMENT
3
THE RIVER B
ASINS
BASINS
4
LIFE ALONG THE RIVERS
6
SPECIAL PLANTS AND ANIMALS
8
LANDUSE IN THE RIVER B
ASINS
BASINS
10
BALANCING ECONOMY AND
ENVIR
ONMENT IN THE RIVER B
ASINS
ENVIRONMENT
BASINS
12
WATER POLICY
W AND
POLICY,, LA
LAW
CITIZEN INV
OL
VEMENT
INVOL
OLVEMENT
14
WANT MORE?
16
Citizen Guide to Alabama Rivers
Volume 1
Volume 2
Volume 3
Volume 4
Volume 5
About these Guides
Alabama’s rivers, streams and lakes
are priceless in terms of the ecological,
economic and social benefits they provide.
The purpose of this guide is to provide
an introduction to the unique history and
environmental significance of Alabama’s
River Basins and invite further
investigation into Alabama’s abundant
but limited water resources.
It is hoped that these guides will enhance
the dialogue between citizens and key
decision makers and help us move toward
strategies of how to best manage and
protect Alabama’s waters.
Black Warrior and Cahaba
Alabama, Coosa and Tallapoosa
Chattahoochee and Coastal Plain Streams
Tennessee
Escatawpa, Mobile and Tombigbee
This guide was written and pr
oduced bbyy the
produced
Alabama Water Watch P
Prrogram
at A
uburn U
niv
ersity
Auburn
Univ
niversity
ersity..
It was funded in par
om the
partt bbyy a grant fr
from
epar
tment of E
nvir
onmental M
anagement
Alabama D
Depar
epartment
Envir
nvironmental
Management
and the
nvir
onmental P
egion 4
U.S. E
Agency,, R
Region
Envir
nvironmental
Prrotection Agency
(Clean Water A
ct, SSection
ection 319).
Act,
CO
VER PHO
TO. Alabama River.
COVER
PHOT
PHOTO: BETH MAYNOR YOUNG
2 ❖ Citizen Guide to Alabama Rivers
PHOTO: ASHLEY BELCHER
Series E
ditors: Wendi Hartup and Bill Deutsch
Editors:
Contributors: Justin Ellis, Eric Reutebuch and Allison Busby
Revie
wers: Kathryn Braund, Dick Bronson, Patti Hurley,
eview
Tom Madigan, Stuart McGregor and Pat O’Neil
Unlabeled P
hotos and G
raphics: Alabama Water Watch Program
Photos
Graphics:
The Water Environment
The W
orld’
ater Supply
World’
orld’ss W
Water
If all the Earth’s water fit into a one liter
or 1000 mL container,
❖ 970 mL of the container would be
saltwater
❖
9
30 mL (nail polish container)
would be freshwater which is in
the atmosphere, polar ice caps
and inaccessible groundwater.
❖
ops of the
Only 2 dr
drops
freshwater would be
in lakes and rivers.
Alabama’
ater Resour
ces
Alabama’ss Rich W
Water
Resources
Alabama contains more than 77,000 miles of streams,
3.6 million acres of wetlands and 560,000 acres of lakes,
ponds and reservoirs.
9 Alabama has longer stretches of navigable rivers (1,438
miles) than any other state.
9 The Mobile River system is the fourth largest watershed
in North America, exceeded only by the Mississippi,
Yukon and Columbia river systems.
9 About 8% of the freshwater in the continental U.S.
originates in or flows through Alabama.
What is a W
atershed?
Watershed?
A watershed is the total land area that drains to a
common point, such as a river, a lake or the ocean.
Watersheds come in many sizes.
Very large watersheds are also called drainage
basins. For example the Coosa, Tallapoosa,
basins
Alabama, Cahaba, Black Warrior and Tombigbee
River watersheds are all part of the greater Mobile
Basin. We all live in a watershed, no matter how
far we are from a river or lake.
Georgia
Mississippi
Tennessee
Alabama
Florida
Gulf of Mexico
The Mobile Basin is the largest watershed
in Alabama, draining 3/4 of the state.
The Hydrologic Cycle, or the Water Cycle, links land, air and water
within a watershed. GRAPHIC: STEPHEN ADDUCI AND PERDUE PESTICIDE PROGRAMS
Natur
e’
ater Recycling Pr
ogram
Nature’
e’ss W
Water
Pro
When rain falls to the earth, it sinks into the ground
infiltration
ev
aporation and transpiration
(infiltration
infiltration), returns to the air (ev
evaporation
transpiration)
or flows over the land surface (rrunoff
unoff). Surface runoff carries
dissolved and suspended substances, such as chemicals and
sediment. Landuse activities in a watershed directly affect both
water quality and quantity. Water supplies are not limitless.
Water is never created, it only recycles.
GRAPHIC: MOBILE BAY NATIONAL ESTUARY PROGRAM
Alabama, Coosa and Tallapoosa ❖ 3
The River Basins
The Coosa Riv
River
er (in
blue) begins in Rome,
blue
Georgia, where the
Oostanaula and Etowah rivers converge.
Its mainstem is 290 miles long and 53% of its
10,200 square mile watershed lies in Alabama.
Chattahoochee
National Forest
1
The Tallapoosa Riv
River
een) begins in
er (in green
northwest Georgia and is 195 miles long. About 85%
of its 4,680 square mile watershed is in Alabama.
10
er (in red
The Alabama Riv
River
ed) is formed by the
joining of the Coosa and Tallapoosa rivers at
Wetumpka. The mainstem is 310 miles long
and all of its 6,020 square mile watershed
is in Alabama.
3
4
2
The streams within the Coosa
Basin flow through 37 counties
(2 Tennessee, 20 Georgia and
15 Alabama).
5
11
17
6
Coosa Wildlife
Management Area
7
20
8
15
12
9
18
13
21
14
22
16
The streams within the
Tallapoosa B
asin flow
Basin
through 16 counties
(4 Georgia and 12 Alabama).
er
The Tallapoosa Riv
River
has four dams:
17 R. L. Harris Dam
12 Martin Dam
18 Yates Dam
19 Thurlow Dam
19
The Alabama Riv
River
er has three
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
dams:
20 Robert F. Henry Dam
21 Millers Ferry Dam
22 Claiborne Dam
The streams within the Alabama B
Basin
asin flow through
18 counties before joining the Tombigbee River to form
the Mobile River.
4 ❖ Citizen Guide to Alabama Rivers
ALAB
AMA RIVER
ALABAMA
RIVER.. PHOTO: BETH MAYNOR YOUNG
There are 18 dams in the Alabama
Alabama, Coosa and Tallapoosa river basins
(ACT Basin), which form 16 major reservoirs and create more than 170,000
surface acres of water... more than the Basins’ urban areas combined. Out of
1,338 mainstem river miles, only 56% remain unimpounded. These rivers
changed dramatically with construction of dams that were begun in the late
1800’s for navigation, flood control, irrigation, and hydroelectric power
generation. Dam construction brought electricity to thousands of
Alabamians, but also turned hundreds of miles of rushing water into acres of
elongated reservoirs.
3 Weiss Lake is known by
fishermen as “The Crappie Capital
COOSA RIVER
RIVER.. PHOTO: BETH MAYNOR YOUNG
of the World,” because of its
Nine dams now form
outstanding fishery of this
impoundments over nearly the
important game fish.
entire length of the Coosa Basin
Basin:
1 Carters Dam, GA
2 Allatoona Dam, GA
11 The Talladega National Forest
3 Weiss Dam
10 Little River, a tributary to the Coosa Riv
er
River
er,
is the largest block of public lands
4 H. Neely Henry Dam
is Alabama’s first designated Outstanding
within the ACT Basin and contains
5 Logan Martin Dam
National Resource Water. Most of the river
Dugger Mountain Wilderness, a
6 Lay Dam
is in the Little River Canyon National Preserve,
newly designated preserve
7 Mitchell Dam
which covers 14,000 acres. This area forms
harboring many unique ecological
8 Jordan Dam
one of the deepest gorges east of the
features. Nearby, Mt. Cheaha is
9 Walter Bouldin Dam
Mississippi.
Alabama’s highest peak at 2,407 ft.
12 When Lake Martin was created in 1926,
it was the world’s largest reservoir. Today it
accounts for 31% of the water storage volume
for the entire ACT Basin. Camp ASCCA is
located on 230 acres of Lake Martin
waterfront and is the world’s largest
camping, recreational, and educational
facility for people with disabilities.
TALLAPOOSA RIVER
RIVER..
PHOTO: BETH MAYNOR YOUNG
13 Tuskegee National Forest
is the smallest in the U.S.,
with 11,000 acres. Prior to
the federal government’s
acquisition, the area was one
of the most abused, eroded
wastelands in Alabama with
80% cut-over land.
19 The Benjamin Fitzpatrick
Bridge is one of the world’s
longest curved bridges. It
spans 1,738 ft and lies 143 ft
er
above the Tallapoosa Riv
River
near Thurlow Dam at
Tallassee.
Falling water, unlike any of the other
generous gifts of nature, has a quality
peculiar to itself, in that, when it is not
being used it is wasted.
W. P. Lay, Founder, Alabama Power Co.
River Problems of Alabama, May 1915
14 William Bartram, on first seeing the confluence
of the Coosa and Tallapoosa in 1775 exclaimed, “This
is perhaps one of the most eligible situations for a
city in the world.” Montgomery was later built just a
few miles south and became a true river town, resting
er
on a great bend of the Alabama Riv
River
er.
15 Prattville is known
as “The Fountain City”
because of its many
overflowing artesian
wells.
16 The River Heritage Museum in
Franklin (Monroe County) transports
visitors to 60 million years ago when
this area was underwater. It
showcases a large collection of world
renowned fossils, like the large
turritella shells, as well as Native
American artifacts.
Alabama, Coosa and Tallapoosa ❖ 5
Life Along the Rivers
Nativ
Nativee Cultur
Culturee
Native Americans inhabited the
ACT Basin for thousands of
years prior to European
colonization. The Alabama
Alabama,
Coosa and Tallapoosa rivers
each have names derived from
Native American culture. The
indigenous groups of the
ACT Basin were collectively
called the Upper Creeks. In
colonial times, there were thirty
major Upper Creek towns and
scores of smaller villages.
The Creeks were agriculturists
and their communal cornfields stretched for miles along the banks of rivers to take
advantage of the rich alluvial soil. PHOTO: GREGORY WASELKOV AND UA PRESS
THE EIGHT T
OWNS OF THE T
ALLAPOOSA INDIANS, 1798.
TOWNS
TALLAPOOSA
Indian life dramatically changed after contact with
white explorers and settlers. Historically, the Creek
people established a trade alliance with the British
colonies and the rivers served as the primary means of
transporting goods. The exchange of processed
deerskins for guns, cloth, ornaments and metal farming
tools brought wealth and power to the Creeks,
transforming their economy and social structure.
TALLAPOOSA RIVER. PHOTO: ALABAMA POWER ARCHIVE
6 ❖ Citizen Guide to Alabama Rivers
Eur
opean Settlement
European
In the early 1700’s, French settlers to the ACT Basin
considered the confluence of the Coosa and Tallapoosa
rivers to be the “key to the country.” In 1775, the English
explorer and naturalist, William Bartram, proclaimed the
bluffs above the Coosa and Tallapoosa conjunction as an
ideal city.
The Battle at Horseshoe Bend
Conflict between settlers and Native Americans
came to a head in the Creek War of 1813-1814.
General Andrew Jackson, accompanied by a group
of Tennessee militia, other soldiers and Indians
attacked Chief Menawa and Red Stick warriors in
er
River
er.
the “horseshoe” bend of the Tallapoosa Riv
General Jackson’s forces destroyed the Creeks,
leaving an estimated 800 dead. As one American
observer noted after the battle, “the Tallapoosa
might truly be called the river of blood.”
Subsequent to the defeat of the Creeks by the U.S.
Army, the Indians relinquished nearly 20 million
acres in what is now Alabama and Georgia.
Horseshoe Bend National Military Park, created
in 1959, preserves a 2,040 acre site of the Battle at
Horseshoe Bend.
Cotton and Riv
er Commer
ce
River
Commerce
As settlement began in earnest, the fertile valleys of
these river basins set the stage for Alabama’s economic
boom. Cotton was the lifeblood of early Alabama and
er was its major artery. Originally
the Alabama Riv
River
goods primarily traveled in one direction, downstream.
But with the arrival of the steamboat in 1821, commerce
flourished upstream and down. Virtually all of
Alabama’s major towns were located along rivers where
logs were floated and steamboats were loaded with both
cotton and passengers. The early cotton mills were
located near waterfalls and rapids which served as the
power source for water wheels. Mills were especially
concentrated along the Fall Line (prehistoric seashore)
of the lower Coosa and Tallapoosa rivers.
This Coosa River
steamboat became part of the inspiration for cartoonist Tom Sim’s
drawings in the comic strip, “Popeye the Sailorman.”
THE ANNIE M., LA
TER RENAMED THE LEO
TA.
LATER
LEOT
STEAMBOAT PHOTO: ALABAMA POWER ARCHIVE
er
At the height of the steamboat era, there were more than 200 landings along the Alabama Riv
River
er. The landings served
er was too shallow and
as social centers and places to load cotton, fat pine fuel, and river travelers. The Tallapoosa Riv
River
narrow for steamboats, so upriver trade was relegated to flatboats. Historians often refer to this period as the Golden
Age of Alabama, and to the recreational steamboats as “Floating Palaces.” This era ended with the proliferation of
railroads, a decade after the Civil War, and life along the rivers has never returned to its former splendor.
LO
ADING CO
TT
ON ON THE ALAB
AMA RIVER,1857.
LOADING
COTT
TTON
ALABAMA
William and Cummins Lay
William Patrick Lay, the founder of Alabama
Power Company, grew up on the Coosa and
envisioned a river harnessed for the benefits of
power production and barge transport. During
the Civil War his father, Cummins Lay, was the
only steamboat captain to successfully run a
steamboat down, then back up the Devil’s Staircase
rapids, saving his boat from the Union troops. The
Devil’s Staircase, now flooded under the waters of
Lake Jordan, was never photographed.
GRAPHIC: W.S. HOOLE SPECIAL COLLECTIONS LIBRARY, UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA
Native Sons and Daughters
Famous folks from the Alabama
Alabama, Coosa
Coosa, and Tallapoosa Basins include:
arper Lee (Monroeville) - Pulitzer prize author, To Kill a Mockingbird
❖ Nelle H
Harper
❖ Nat “King
“King”” Cole (Montgomery) - entertainer, 1985 Lifework Award for Performing Achievement
er
cy LaV
on JJulian
ulian (Montgomery) - world renowned chemist, synthesized cortisone
Per
ercy
LaVon
❖ Dr. P
❖ Alabama (Ft. Payne) - nationally known country band, Mountain Music
lack (Ashland) - Associate Supreme Court Justice
❖ Hugo L. B
Black
abors (Sylacauga) - singer, actor, “Gomer Pyle”
❖ Jim N
Nabors
ar
❖ Freddie H
Har
artt (Loachapoka) - songwriter, two Grammy Awards for Easy Loving
es (Tuskegee) - Internationally known pop group, Brick House
❖ Lionel Ritchie and the Commodor
Commodores
ar
ks (Tuskegee) - Civil Rights activist, 1996 Medal of Freedom
❖ Rosa Louise P
Par
arks
Alabama, Coosa and Tallapoosa ❖ 7
Special Plants
Alabama ranks among the top ten states in the nation for
to The Nature Conservancy of Alabama, there are over 4
nearly 250 species of freshwater mollusks (snails and m
endangered species than any state except Hawaii.
The ACT Basin is acknowledged as one of the most
biologically diverse and threatened river basins in the
nation. It harbors a high number of federally protected
species including 10 fishes, 10 mussels and 3 snails.
There are dozens of other species that are considered
at-risk.
ALAB
AMA CANEBRAKE PITCHER
ALABAMA
PLANT
PLANT,, Sarracenia rubra (left).
Found only in the Alabama Basin
Basin.
GREEN PITCHER PLANT
eophila (right).
PLANT,, Sarracenia or
oreophila
only in the Coosa Basin
Basin..
Found
PHOTOS: MALCOLM PIERSON
Two of Alabama’s endangered plants, the Alabama
Canebrake pitcher plant (in Autauga, Chilton and Elmore
counties) and the Green pitcher plant (in Cherokee,
DeKalb, Etowah, Jackson and Marshall counties) grow
on the moist soil of boggy areas, streambanks and seeps.
To survive and grow, pitcher plants need periodic fire to
maintain an open, sunny habitat.
The Coosa River
harbors 45 species of mussels, making it one of the richest
mussel habitats in the world. PHOTO: MALCOLM PIERSON
COOSA RIVER ASSOR
TED MUSSELS.
ASSORTED
For eons, Striped bass (Morone saxatilis) and Gulf
sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi) made spring
migrations from the Gulf of Mexico to the falls at
Tallapoosa Riv
er
Tallassee (T
River
er, Elmore County). Called
anadromous fish, they inhabit coastal waters during
most of the year but return to freshwater to spawn.
er now block
River
The dams on the Alabama Riv
migrations of these and other fishes.
A small
(up to 4.5 cm), bottom-dwelling fish.
ALAB
AMA S
ALABAMA
PYGMY SCULPIN, Cottus paulus.
“Bubba,” is
Unfortunate
PHOTO: CAROL JOHNSTON
PHOTO: CATHERIN
The threatened Pygmy sculpin only occurs in
Coldwater Spring (Calhoun County) in the Coosa
Basin
asin. The fish’s colors blend perfectly with the gravel
on the spring bottom. The spring is protected to
conserve this special fish and because it is the primary
drinking water supply for the city of Anniston.
TALLAPOOSA D
AR
TER, Etheostoma tallapoosae.
DAR
ARTER,
found only in the Tallapoosa Basin
Basin.
8 ❖ Citizen Guide to Alabama Rivers
A rare fish
PHOTO: MALCOLM PIERSON
s and Animals
ALLIGA
TOR SNAPPING
ALLIGAT
TUR
TLE, Macr
ochelys
TURTLE,
Macrochelys
temminckii. Can reach
r the most types of native plants and animals. According
4,000 species of plants, 850 species of vertebrates and
mussels) in Alabama. Alabama has more threatened or
up to 200 lbs (largest
freshwater turtle) and
has a unique, lure-like
structure on its tongue.
PHOTO: GARY STOLZ
TULO
TOMA SNAIL,
TULOT
Tulotoma magnifica .
BLA
CK-KNOBBED SA
WB
ACK,
BLACK-KNOBBED
SAWB
WBA
An endangered snail
known to occur only
in a small portion of
the Coosa Basin
Basin.
Graptemys nig
rinoda. Found
nigrinoda
below the Fall Line in
Alabama and northeastern
Mississippi.
PHOTO: MALCOLM PIERSON
PHOTO: MALCOLM PIERSON
The fact that these rivers now are ‘elongated
lakes’ with little if any of a once-abundant biota
should be a constant reminder to us all of the
price paid for ‘civilization.’
Douglas E. Jones
Former Director, Alabama Museum of Natural History
A
perennial herb that grows near forest edges, creeks
and ditches and is found only in the Coosa Basin
(Cherokee and St. Clair Counties). PHOTO: MALCOLM PIERSON
ALAB
AMA LEA
THER FLOWER, Clematis socialis.
ALABAMA
LEATHER
The last known Alabama sturgeon,
located at the Marion Fish Hatchery (Alabama
River, Perry County).
Alabama River
ely, a mate cannot be found and he is unable to reproduce.
STURGEON, Scaphirhynchus suttkusi.
NE NORDFELT
Only three Alabama sturgeon have been captured since
er
1993, all from the Alabama Riv
River
er. They are nearly
extinct because of past overfishing, dam construction
and ongoing, human-caused habitat loss.
The T
rav
els of William Bartram
Trav
ravels
In the 1770’s, the King of England commissioned the
naturalist and explorer, William Bartram, to study local
culture and collect plants and animals in the Southeast
U.S. His journal, Travels, documents a wild and pristine
land, including a “magnificent forest” and a litter of red
wolves, now eliminated from Alabama. An 8.5 mile
Tallapoosa B
asin
trail in the Tuskegee National Forest (T
Basin
asin)
marks part of Bartram’s travels.
Alabama, Coosa and Tallapoosa ❖ 9
Landuse in the River Basins
The water quality and quantity of the ACT Basin
are influenced by a variety of urban and rural
land uses. The landuse maps on these pages were
generated from 1992-93 satellite images. River
basins are outlined in white. The orange line
represents the Fall Line, which is the border
between the Piedmont (foothills) and Coastal
Plain of Alabama. Virtually all of the Alabama
Riv
er is in the Coastal Plain, whereas much of
River
the Coosa flows through the Valley and Ridge
Province and the Tallapoosa is in the Piedmont.
FOREST
Land Use Percentages
Alabama Coosa Tallapoosa
For
est
63
79
76
orest
Ag
ricultur
Agricultur
riculturee
21
15
15
Urban/Sub
urban
Urban/Suburban
1
2
1
Clear
cut/Barr
en
Clearcut/Barr
cut/Barren
2
2
1
Wetland
11
1
4
Water/Lakes
1
2
2
<1
<1
Quarry/Mining
<1
Three quarters of the ACT Basin
(15,400 sq. miles) is covered by forests,
which filter and purify water, conserve soil,
and enhance wildlife. The most abundant
native vegetative community in the ACT Basin is the oak-hickory-pine forest.
In the early 1920’s, thousands of acres of virgin long leaf pine trees were harvested along the proposed shoreline of
the Lake Martin reservoir. Timber not used to build a camp at Cherokee Bluffs was lashed together and piled on
cleared land below the proposed waterline. Hundreds of these trees lay perfectly preserved in the lake today.
Alabama Basin
Selma
Monr
oeville
Monroeville
10 ❖ Citizen Guide to Alabama Rivers
AGRICUL
TURE
GRICULTURE
Agriculture is still an important factor in the economy
of the basins, making up about 17% (3,500 sq. miles)
asin corn, hay,
of the landuse. In the Alabama B
Basin
Montg
omery
Montgomery
peanuts, potatoes, and soybeans are the principal
crops, and livestock, poultry production and
dairying are increasing in importance. In the
asin
Tallapoosa B
Basin
asin, agriculture is primarily
restricted to poultry and livestock operations and
Carroll County, GA ranks in the top ten counties
nationally for cattle and broiler chicken
production.
URBAN/SUB
URBAN
URBAN/SUBURBAN
Most of the ACT Basin’s nearly three million people live in cities and suburbs.
Urban centers impact water quality by such things as stormwater runoff and
soil erosion from construction sites. By decreasing tree cover to make room
for homes and paved roads (impermeable surfaces), flooding often increases.
Urban centers also have demanding water needs. For example, the
Atlanta metropolitan area is one of the fastest growing urban areas
in America and greatly affects the upper Coosa and Tallapoosa
basins. For almost a decade, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida have
been negotiating a water resource allocation plan, because of Atlanta’s
increasing demand for additional water sources. Future flows within
the ACT Basin will be vital to the health and prosperity of residents
within these states. Water quantity and allocation has become a
critical and contentious issue.
GULF STURGEON WEIGHING HUNDREDS OF
POUNDS WERE FISHED FR
OM THE A
CT B
ASIN.
FROM
ACT
BASIN.
PHOTO: ALABAMA POWER ARCHIVE
TN
AL GA
Coosa Basin
Gadsden
Alexander
City
Montg
omery
Montgomery
Clev
eland
Cleveland
WETL
AND
WETLAND
Wetlands cover a significant
portion of the southeastern
United States and
Dalton
support a diverse
population of plants
and animals. They
Calhoun
receive
stream
overflow
from
Rome
floodwaters, which
helps to reduce
erosion and creates
for
fishes,
Atlanta habitat
amphibians and other
animals. They are also valued as sources
Anniston
of carbon for the stream environment, for
Carr
ollton filtering runoff that enters the groundwater,
Carrollton
and for recycling nutrients.
Wetlands are
abundant in the ACT Basin below the Fall Line, where
the rivers widen and meander. These wetlands consist
primarily of bottomland hardwood forests with many types
of vegetation such as oak, gum, and
cypress trees.
Tallapoosa Basin
Aub
urn/ QUARR
Auburn/
Y/MINING
ARRY/MINING
Opelika There are many raw materials sought after in the ACT
Basin including gravel, limestone, platinum, gold, granite,
Tuskeg
ee
uskegee
coalbed methane, and oil. For example, a large marble
er
formation extends northeast from the bank of the Coosa Riv
River
in Talladega County for about 60 miles, creating the Marble Valley.
Although quarries and mining occur in less than 1% of the Basin,
their potential impacts on streams and groundwater are significant. Impacts
may include acid drainage, sink holes, metal contamination, increased
turbidity and low dissolved oxygen.
Alabama, Coosa and Tallapoosa ❖ 11
Balancing Economy and Environment in
the River Basins
Abundant water, timber, rich soils, coal deposits, and other natural resources have been important for boosting Alabama’s
economy, creating jobs and providing necessary products for all of us. The way these natural resources are used can cause
environmental problems that negatively affect human health and our quality of life. More than half of these problems come
from nonpoint source pollution that enters streams from broad areas of both urban and rural portions of a watershed.
Possible problems may include...
– Agricultur
ricultur
riculturee ©
” Ag
❖ Excess nutrients and bacteria from animal wastes,
especially CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations)
❖ Runoff of pesticides and other chemicals from
cropland and pastures
POUL
TRY CAFO.
POULTRY
PHOTO: LARRY RANA
Nitrogen and phosphorus are
essential nutrients for plant and
animal growth, but excessive
amounts can stimulate blooms of
algae and other aquatic plants in
waterbodies. In turn, algal blooms
can impair water suitability for a
variety of uses, such as drinking,
swimming and fishing.
CONT
OUR FFARMING
ARMING AND INTEGRA
TED PEST
CONTOUR
INTEGRATED
MANA
GEMENT (IPM). These techniques allow
MANAGEMENT
farmers to conserve soil, save money on pesticide
applications and reduce contamination of streams
from agricultural runoff. PHOTO: AL SOIL AND WATER
CONSERVATION COMMITTEE
9 Dams
❖ Changes in natural river flow patterns and levels
❖ Drastic water temperature and oxygen changes
downstream from dam releases
Many dams in Alabama are under consideration for relicensing, which
could modify how they are managed for power generation and
environmental protection.
3
TALLASSEE D
AM CREA
TES YYA
ATES RESERV
OIR
DAM
CREATES
RESERVOIR
ON THE TALLAPOOSA RIVER
RIVER..
For
estry Practices
orestry
❖ Erosion and runoff from unprotected clearcuts
Erosion and sedimentation have been a problem in
Alabama as far back as colonial settlement. In the
1930’s, the Soil Conservation Service, now called
the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS),
was formed to address erosion problems and other
land use issues.
12 ❖ Citizen Guide to Alabama Rivers
SOIL ER
OSION AND STREAM SEDIMENT
ATION FOLLOWING
EROSION
SEDIMENTA
A FOREST CLEARCUT
CLEARCUT.. PHOTOS: RUSSELL WRIGHT
E Industrial Dischar
Dischargge
❖ Toxic chemicals
❖ Heavy metals
¾
Fish consumption advisories exist for
er
considerable portions of the Coosa Riv
River
and tributaries due to PCBs
(polychlorinated biphenyls) that polluted
the streams 20-50 years ago.
Quarry/Mining
❖ Soil erosion, sedimentation
and stream turbidity
❖ Toxic metal and acid runoff
❖ Altered water tables and
spring flows
AQ
UARRY ALONG CHEW
ACLA CREEK IN THE
QUARRY
CHEWA
ASIN
TALLAPOOSA B
BASIN
ASIN.. PHOTO: MARY LOU SMITH
%
AN INDUSTRY PIPE IS A
POINT SOURCE DISCHARGE.
The increase in quarries and
mines within the ACT Basin
have prompted citizens to call
for policy reforms to protect
the environment and their
quality of life.
Urban/Sub
urban Dev
elopment
Urban/Suburban
Development
❖ Erosion and sedimentation from
construction sites
❖ Stormwater runoff (oil, litter, etc.)
from streets and parking lots
❖ Lawn and garden fertilizer runoff
❖ Inadequate and failing wastewater
treatment
Best Management Practices (BMPs) and good
planning can reduce or eliminate nonpoint
source problems. Specific BMPs for each
landuse activity may be obtained from the
NRCS, the Office of Surface Mining, the
Alabama Cooperative Extension System and
ADEM.
As paved and hard surfaces sprawl
across the watersheds, less open space
is left for water to soak down and
filter through to the groundwater or
springs that feed the river.
Randy Chafin
Birmingham Water Works
Rapid urbanization and
development is taking a toll
on diverse ecosystems of
Alabama rivers.
IMPR
OPER MAINTENANCE
IMPROPER
OF SIL
T FENCES
SILT
CONTRIB
UTES T
O
CONTRIBUTES
TO
SOIL ER
OSION.
EROSION.
RUNOFF FR
OM STREETS AND
FROM
LA
WNS ENTERS ST
ORM
LAWNS
STORM
DRAINS AND FLOWS DIRECTL
Y
DIRECTLY
TO STREAMS UNTREA
TED.
UNTREATED.
PHOTO: MICHAEL MULLEN
SOIL CONSERV
ATION BMPs
CONSERVA
CAN DRAMA
TICALL
Y
DRAMATICALL
TICALLY
REDUCE ER
OSION
EROSION
AND STREAM SEDIMENT
ATION.
SEDIMENTA
Alabama, Coosa and Tallapoosa ❖ 13
Water Policy, Law and Citizen
Involvement
There are many water policies and laws from various federal, state and local agencies that are sometimes difficult to
understand. Virtually all water quality protection laws in Alabama stem from the federal Clean Water Act, passed by the
U.S. Congress in 1972. Since that time, the quality of our nation’s waters has improved dramatically because of the
cooperative efforts of federal, state, tribal and local governments and the general public.
The Clean Water Act is subdivided into many
sections that influence Alabama’s water.
Three of the main sections are:
or
Mf
E
D
h
to A ams suc
9
A
1
P
r
ips.
rog
on 3
.S. E
Secti h the U porting p Partnersh tm)
ter
oug
ex.h
, sup
s thr sistance lean Wa nts/ind
d
n
s
fu
ra
C
eral chnical a nd the r/nps/g
d
e
f
e
wat
ides
tch a
nd te
Prov tional a ater Wa region4/
a
/
educ bama W epa.gov
la
w.
as A
(ww
Requ
ire
to det s an assess Section 30
m
e
5
The B rmine whe ent of wate
ther d
rbodi
iennia
es
e
the 3
05(b) l Water Q signated u every two
s
u
e
ye
R
about
al
s
the qu eport, pro ity Report are being ars
m
vi
ality o
t
f the s des summ o Congres et.
s,
a
tate’s
w ater r y i n f o r m o r
ation
s.
ms
ontrol progra
c
n
o
ti
u
ll
o
p
shing,
loping
ria and deve
irrigation, fi
te
s,
ri
c
c
ti
e
ty
li
h
a
st
u
e
q
a
water
ation,
tting specific
water, recre
se
g
h
in
it
k
w
n
s
ri
e
d
ib
s and tr
include
d uses may
Charges state
te
a
tivities.
n
g
si
e
D
are included
m.
nd other ac
n
e
a
o
ti
th
se
a
e
t
ic
e
e
th
if
f
ss
m
o
la
to
tion
Ls)
ter use c
r a combina
loads (TMD
signated wa
y
e
il
d
a
ir
d
e
m
th
u
r
swimming o
fo
im
llutant that
p total max
ty standards
o
lo
li
p
e
a
v
a
u
e
f
q
d
o
r
to
te
ty
a
ti
w
M
s ADE
t meet
m quan
ody.
s that do no
EPA require
the maximu
).
is
rs
L
te
a
D
of the waterb
/w
M
v
n
Waterbodie
T
o
o
e
ti
.g
h
a
a
p
T
ic
.e
if
.
w
ss
st
st (ww
use cla
303(d) li
in a 303(d) li
e designated
ded on the
th
lu
c
g
n
in
ti
y
c
e
d
o
ff
terb
rsely a
for each wa
ithout adve
w
y
d
o
rb
te
a
w
can enter a
Section 303
14 ❖ Citizen Guide to Alabama Rivers
Partnerships of local, citizen-based and governmental groups have a high potential for restoring degraded habitats
and protecting water quality.
Citizens can do m
uch to pr
otect their w
atershed by:
much
protect
watershed
❖ Becoming aware of key water issues
❖ Neighbor-to-neighbor persuasion
to reduce pollution
❖ Raising local awareness and public outreach
❖ Participating in watershed-based protection
plans including the TMDL process
❖ Becoming part of a citizen group
❖ Being the “eyes and ears” for lake/
stream changes and pollution
❖ Advocating for policy changes and
enforcement
The Alabama Clean Water Partnership was created in
1998 to coordinate stakeholders for the restoration and
protection of river basins in accordance with the Clean
Water Act. A resulting Watershed Management Plan
will represent the diverse interests of local citizens,
landowners, public officials, industries and agencies.
Citizens may contact ADEM to get involved in the:
Alabama River Basin Clean Water Partnership
Coosa River Basin Clean Water Partnership
Tallapoosa River Basin Clean Water Partnership
TALLAPOOSA RIVER
RIVER..
PHOTO: BETH MAYNOR YOUNG
Many citizen groups have formed within the Alabama
Alabama, Coosa
Coosa, and Tallapoosa basins. Several also monitor water quality
with the Alabama Water Watch program (marked with an *). Although citizen groups come and go, most groups below have
existed for several years and have provided significant input for environmental protection.
Montgomery Water Watch*
Rambranch Creek Organization
Alabama Rivers Alliance
Boy and Girls Club of Calhoun County*
Coalition for the Preservation of
Hatchet Creek
Concerned Citizens for a Better
Environment
Coosa River Basin Initiative*
Coosa River Society*
DeSoto State Park*
Fort Payne High School*
Friends of Big Canoe Creek
Friends of Choccolocco Creek*
Friends of Kelly Creek
Friends of Little River
Friends of Terrapin Creek
Gadsden Area Water Watch*
Gadsden Christian Home Educators*
Georgia Adopt-A-Stream
Hatchet Creek Watershed Association
Ida Station Peckerwood Creek
Association
Lake Jordan HOBO*
Lake Mitchell HOBO*
Lay Lake HOBO*
Logan Martin Lake Protection
Association*
Neely Henry Lake Association
Sand Rock Water Quality Team*
Spring Creek Conservation Association
Weiss Lake Improvement Association
Auburn Outing Club*
East Central Alabama Alliance for
Quality Living
Friends of Chewacla-Uphapee
Watershed*
Friends of Hodnett Creek*
Lake Watch of Lake Martin*
Lake Wedowee Property Owners
Association*
Middle Tallapoosa River Conservation
Association
Save Our Saugahatchee*
Tallapoosa River Watch
Upper Tallapoosa Watershed Group
Perhaps the most important ingredient in the recipe for a cleaner,
healthier, economically viable body of water is an aware, active
organization of citizens.
Jerry Brown, founding President, Coosa River Basin Initiative
Alabama, Coosa and Tallapoosa ❖ 15
Want More?
For further information about Alabama’
Alabama’ss
waterw
ays or how to gget
et inv
olv
ed in pr
otecting
aterways
involv
olved
protecting
your w
atershed, contact:
watershed,
Alabama Cooperative Extension System
334-844-4444
www.aces.edu
Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries
www.agi.state.al.us
Alabama Department of Conservation and
Natural Resources
334-242-3420
www.dcnr.state.al.us
Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs
334-242-5694
www.adeca.state.al.us
Alabama Department of Environmental Management
334-271-7700
www.adem.state.al.us
Alabama Soil and Water Conservation Committee
334-242-2620
Alabama Water Watch
888-844-4785
www.alabamawaterwatch.org
Ala-Tom Resource Conservation and Development Council
334-275-3186
Coosa Valley Resource Conservation and
Development Council
256-835-0685
Geological Survey of Alabama
205-349-2852
www.gsa.state.al.us
Legacy, Inc.
800-240-5115
In 1819, when Alabama entered the Union,
its leaders designed a great seal that featured
the state’s waterways. In adopting this
symbol they affirmed their belief that the
future of Alabama lay with its rivers. It did,
and it still does.
www.legacyenved.com
Mid South Resource Conservation and
Development Council
334-244-6903
National Agricultural Library
Water Quality Information Center
www.nal.usda.gov/wqic
Harvey Jackson, III
Rivers of History
Natural Resource Conservation Service
334-887-4552
www.nrcs.usda.gov
The Nature Conservancy of Alabama
205-251-1155
http://nature.org/states/alabama
Office of Surface Mining
205-290-7282
www.osmre.gov/osm.htm
The Water Course (Alabama Power Company)
800-280-4442
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Region 4)
404-562-8357
www.epa.gov
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
334-441-5181
www.fws.gov
U.S. Geological Survey
www.usgs.gov
16 ❖ Citizen Guide to Alabama Rivers