OCR Text |
Show logs, and pulpwood, barged or rafted to Mobile from the lower reaches of the river. The river is open for navigation all year round. Through the Mobile and Tensaw Rivers, it connects with the Intracoastal Waterway, the port of Mobile, and through the Tombigbee-Warrior system, with Birmingham. Facilities Under Construction and Authorized No improvements for navigation are being con- structed at the present time. A Federal project for a navigation channel 9 feet deep from the mouth of the Alabama River to Montgomery has been authorized as an initial part of the basin-wide plan. This improvement would be accomplished by channel dredging in the lower river and by constructing one low-lift lock and dam for navigation only and two higher dams, each with a lock and power installation. Definite project reports have been scheduled and funds have been made available for detailed planning of these proj- ects. These structures will provide for the fore- seeable needs of modern water traffic on the Ala- bama River. The structures in the channel below Montgomery have been so designed that the chan- nel depth can later be increased to 12 feet without altering the structures. Long-Range Plans Should industrial activity in the upper portion of the Goosa River Basin increase to where there is enough traffic, extension of navigation from Mont- gomery to Rome could be provided by a flight of locks at each of the existing power dams and three or four power dams with locks farther upstream. Water Supply Present industrial and municipal water demands use only a small part of the water available in the basin. Though the streams are turbid, the water can be treated satisfactorily for industrial, munici- pal, and other uses by conventional water treatment methods without undue expense. Sufficient water of satisfactory quality is available throughout the area to meet requirements of future industries which may develop. There are 146 public water supplies which serve an estimated 948,305 people in the basin. In addi- tion, Birmingham obtains its water supply from the Cahaba River, a stream in this basin. Major sup- plies are obtained from the surface waters in the upper part of the basin, while only ground water is used now in the lower part. Ground water is available throughout the basin but is limited in the Piedmont Plateau area. Should future demands on ground water in the lower basin become critical, surface water can be utilized. Most of the communities using surface water supplies are in the headwater areas, usually above significant sources of pollution. However, some water supplies are taken from polluted reaches of main stem rivers. In some cases the raw water is of unsatisfactory quality for domestic use and requires special treatment. Forty-seven communities take 65 million gallons of water a day from surface water sources. Ninety-ninef communities use 29 million gallons daily from ground water sources. Municipal sup- plies serve only a part of the industrial needs of the basin, and some of the larger industrial plants have their own water supply systems. Data on indus- trial water use are incomplete, but this demand is estimated at 340 million gallons a day for the basin. Ninety-eight communities and 59 industrial plants discharge sewage and industrial wastes into the rivers. Fifty-nine of the communities provide some degree of treatment in 71 sewage treatment works, but only 18 of these plants are reported as adequate for their present loadings. The State-wide water pollution control program of the Alabama Water Improvement Advisory Commission has as its objective the maximum eco- nomical use of the State's water resources. Studies of this Commission indicate that 34 new treatment works are needed, that two of the existing plants should be replaced, that 24 other waste treatment plants should be enlarged, and that 15 industrial plants need to provide waste treatment works. One municipality and one industry are constructing new treatment works; others have plans in preparation. Although most existing public surface water sup- plies are not seriously affected by pollution, further measures will be required to prevent deterioration of surface supplies as population increases and indus- trial expansion proceeds. 537 |