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Show Legislation has been introduced in the Congress to accelerate the collection and compilation of basic topographic, geologic, and water data for the Nation. If programs proposed in these bills are adequately financed, basic data necessary for planning the conservation and development of the resources of this and most of the other basins of the Nation will be more nearly adequate. Economic data-on population, agriculture, in- dustry, and similar matters-are available from various sources, but usually must be supplemented at the time of planning. The most universally available data are those of the Bureau of the Census, but these are frequently too general to be of maxi- mum use. State-wide highway planning survey materials, available in State highway departments, are another source of economic data. Some States publish annual or biennial reports on agriculture, industry, fishing, marketing, and other matters. Data for farms are obtained by the Bureau of Agri- cultural Economics, supplemented by the Soil Con- servation Service and the Production and Market- ing Administration. Conclusions The available basic data, while sufficient for pre- liminary planning, are definitely insufficient for de- tailed planning in the basin. The collection of much of the essential data is a function of Federal and State agencies. Since they are all faced with the problem of balancing limited funds between im- mediate and long-range purposes, it is apparent that a coordinated and well-planned effort will be needed if data are to be available when required. Ample funds for a comprehensive continuing pro- gram of basic data collection and resource surveys should be provided. The cooperative phases of the work already developed have proved effective. Although a basin-wide plan for the Alabama- Coosa Basin streams has been prepared by the Corps of Engineers, much detailed planning by all agencies, Federal, State, and local, remains to be done; the additional information required should be obtained by expanding the present programs of all agencies. The measures being considered by the executive departments and the Congress along this line should materially improve the situation. 2. Land Treatment Activities The Problem The place of watershed management in a com- prehensive multiple-purpose program for the basin. The Situation Watershed conditions in the Alabama-Coosa drainage are generally unsatisfactory. In this re- spect, the basin is typical of most of the other major drainage basins in the Southeastern States. Erosion is widespread and serious; surface runoff is pronounced; flash floods occur with each heavy rain in the upper tributaries and streams are muddy for much of the year. This problem is particularly acute in the Pied- mont section of the basin where the topsoils have been eroded away and where cash crops can be raised on the exposed subsoils only through use of fertilizers. Similar conditions are found through- out the whole Piedmont region. In the Black Belt of central Alabama, the exceedingly rich black top- soil has been washed away, exposing the white lime- stone beneath. Decades of intensive farming have aided the rains in removing the fine rich material from these Pied- mont soils, leaving from 6 to 12 inches of sterile sands behind. These finally become so loose and infertile that fertilizers are washed out almost as fast as applied, resulting in land abandonment. While progress has been made on a shift in land use from the production of row crops to pastures for livestock and dairying, the programs for forest and woodland improvement have not proceeded as rapidly and land treatment programs have not proceeded fast enough to effect major improvement in watershed conditions. As pointed out earlier in this report, the heavy population pressure, high tenancy, and other factors have resulted in improper use of lands. About 75 percent of the land is seriously eroded. About 20 percent of the land now producing row crops and abandoned lands should be used to produce pas- tures or forests. Through proper treatment, ex- cellent pastures can be developed on many of these lands. Areas not suited to pasture should be planted to forest trees. Most of the sloping crop- lands, which constitute about 70 percent of the total croplands, require special treatment and con- servation measures to keep them from eroding. About 10 percent of the cropland is capable of pro- ducing cultivated crops without special treatment other than fertilization and proper rotations. This basin and the entire southeastern region offer great opportunities for the expansion of forest production. All pines adapted to this area are fast growing and can be grown in dense stands. While it requires an average of about 50 years to produce 557 |