Southeast Alabama Agriculture Statistics

Water
   With longer periods of drought occurring more often, water, as a resource, is becoming a major concern.

  Inset: The region is rich in water resources.  

While water in the upper district aquifers provide adequate supplies for municipal industrial and domestic uses, water-bearing sand in the lower portion of the district often require careful location to assure desired yields (Wiregrass, Resource Conservation and Development Plan, 1986).

   Droughts affect crops, recreation, tourism and a host of other economic sectors, and predictions on the need for water indicate a steady increase. This being the case, plans need to be implemented that will increase the availability of water in the district.

   Currently, there are more than 3,500 man-made small ponds and lakes in the district that provide water for fish and wildlife, livestock, fire control, spray purposes and recreational uses. A study started in March, 1991, by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Soil Conservation Service is studying the Choctawhatchee-Pea River Basin to determine how best to control flooding and provide water for the area.

   There is only one navigable waterway in the district, the Chattahoochee River, which borders the eastern side of the district. A nine foot channel is supposed to be available to barge traffic at all times; however, in 1986 this was not possible due to drought.

   The largest reservoir of the district, Lake Walter F. George (45,200 acres) borders Barbour and Henry Counties and is a part of the Apalachicola, Chattahoochee and Flint River System. The lake has the seventh highest visitation of impoundment in the county. It provides considerable economic benefit to Barbour and Henry Counties.

   Industrial sites on the Chattahoochee River and lakes are limited to two locations in the district -- Columbia and Eufaula. Both have state docks and little acreage available for development. The Houston County Port Authority has a 300 acre tract of land that is adjacent to the north side of the state docks in Columbia. The development of this site into a port has been a district objective for many years. Progress has been made on the west side of the property with the location of Russell Mills, Incorporated.

   Special attention to the development of water resources needs to be done in light of the potential need for alternate water resources. By working with Rural Conservation Development Committees, the promotion of watershed development projects will be encouraged.