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Show Chapter 1 Regional Character and Problems1 Physical Characteristics The Alabama-Coosa River drains a long, narrow basin which extends from the Blue Ridge Moun- tains of northwest Georgia and southeast Tennessee across Alabama to where it joins the Tombigbee River in the southwest corner of the State to form the Mobile River. The entire basin, approxi- mately 350 miles in length and averaging 60 to 70 miles in width, covers an area of 22,800 square miles. Topography varies from the flat or gently rolling coastal plain in the south, through the broken hilly land which characterizes the central and upper portions of the basin, to the steep slopes and narrow, canyon-like valleys of the southern Appalachian Mountains in the headwater areas. The Fall Line2 1 The original draft of this study was prepared during 1950 by the Committee on River Program Analysis of the Commission. The following persons served on the com- mittee, participated in the planning or review of the report, and contributed data to it: Berkeley Blackman, Corps of Engineers, Department of the Army. Max R. Bloom, Department of Commerce. James S. Bowman, Tennessee Valley Authority. George E. Bradley, Production and Marketing Ad- ministration, Department of Agriculture. Lyle E. Craine, Department of the Interior. Van Court Hare, Tennessee Valley Authority. Frank R. Heller, Corps of Engineers, Department of the Army. William E. Holy, Public Health Service. Maynard M. Hufschmidt, Department of the Interior. B. T. Inman, Department of Agriculture. Lee M. James, Forest Service, Department of Agriculture. Walter Kurylo, Bureau of Public Roads, Department of Commerce. Charles W. Leavy, Southeastern Power Administra- tion. separates the upper portion of the basin with its more rugged terrain from the lower, coastal plain portion. There are extensive areas of wooded swamps along the lower Alabama River, where frequent flooding has prevented the clearing of lowland forest areas for agricultural use. Soils are generally of mediocre quality, are easily eroded when cultivated, and have been damaged by soil erosion under past use. They range in char- acter from the red clay soils of the Piedmont Plateau and heavy dark clays of the Black Prairie to the deep sands and sand-over-clay types on the flats and gentle slopes of the lower Coastal Plain. Most soils are strongly leached and are not very fertile but they can be made productive by the application of fertilizers and by good management. Erosion occurs generally on sloping land unless the ground is well protected with sod, close growing Jewell J. Rasmussen, President's Water Resources Policy Commission. Kenneth W. Ross, Federal Power Commission. R. F. Stellar, Corps of Engineers, Department of the Army. Lewis A. Young, Public Health Service. Isabel Picken, President's Water Resources Policy Commission, committee secretary. Walter C. Lowdermilk, President's Water Resources Policy Commission, committee chairman. The study is based on information available between May and October 1950, including special basin reports submitted to the Commission by interested Federal agencies. Following preparation of the original draft by the Committee on River Program Analysis, the study was edited and revised by Edward A. Ackerman, John C. Beebe, John M. Carmody, Patricia Howse, Edward N. Munns, Evelyn S. Myers, Jane G. Perry, and Isabel Picken. Individual committee members or the agencies where they are employed therefore may or may not be in agreement with particular conclusions here presented. a The Fall Line is the boundary between the Piedmont Plateau and the Coastal Plain. 911610-51- -35 523 |
