CPYRWMA Flood Warning System Percentile Rankings

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA

Berry H. (Nick) Tew, Jr. State Geologist

CHOCTAWHATCHEE, PEA AND YELLOW RIVERS WATERSHED MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY FLOOD WARNING SYSTEM PERCENTILE RANKINGS

Open-File Report 1703

Amye S. Hinson

Co-Sponsored by the Choctawhatchee, Pea and Yellow Rivers Watershed Management Authority

Tuscaloosa, Alabama 2017

CONTENTS Abbreviations and Acronyms ...... vii Measurement Conversion Chart ...... ix Executive Summary ...... xi Introduction ...... 1 Acknowledgements ...... 1 Study Area ...... 1 Previous Studies ...... 4 Methodology ...... 4 Flood Warning System ...... 6 Barbour County ...... 6 Texasville ...... 8 Coffee County ...... 8 Big Creek ...... 8 Elba ...... 11 Folsom Bridge ...... 11 Lowry Mill ...... 11 Covington County ...... 14 Yellow River Alabama Highway 55 ...... 14 Yellow River U.S. Highway 84 ...... 18 Dale County ...... 18 Ariton ...... 18 Daleville 1 ...... 18 Daleville 2 ...... 21 Newton ...... 21 Ozark ...... 25 Skipperville ...... 25 Geneva County ...... 29 Geneva ...... 29 Sellersville ...... 29 Henry County ...... 32 East Fork ...... 32 Houston County ...... 32 Dothan ...... 32 Pike County ...... 36 Conclusions and Recommendations ...... 36 References Cited ...... 37 Appendix A ...... 39 TABLES Table 1. Location of Flood Warning System gages in Choctawhatchee, Pea and Yellow River Watersheds in southeastern Alabama ...... 7 CONTENTS—Continued

FIGURES Figure 1. Choctawhatchee, Pea and Yellow Rivers watersheds in southeastern Alabama ...... 2 Figure 2. Physiographic districts in the Choctawhatchee, Pea, and Yellow Rivers region ...... 2 Figure 3. Geologic map for the Choctawhatchee, Pea and Yellow Rivers watersheds ...... 5 Figure 4. Hydrograph for Texasville river gage on East Fork Choctawhatchee River in Barbour County, Alabama ...... 9 Figure 5. Texasville river gage on East Fork Choctawhatchee River in Barbour County, Alabama ...... 9 Figure 6. Hydrograph for Big Creek river gage on Big Creek in Coffee County, Alabama ...... 10 Figure 7. Big Creek river gage on Big Creek in Coffee County, Alabama ...... 10 Figure 8. Hydrograph for Elba river gage on Pea River in Coffee County,Alabama ...... 12 Figure 9. Elba river gage on Pea River in Coffee County, Alabama ...... 12 Figure 10. Hydrograph for Folsom Bridge river gage on Pea River in Coffee County, Alabama ...... 13 Figure 11. Folsom Bridge river gage on Pea River in Coffee County, Alabama ...... 13 Figure 12. Hydrograph for Lowry Mill river gage on Whitewater Creek in Coffee County, Alabama ...... 15 Figure 13. Lowry Mill river gage on Whitewater Creek in Coffee County, Alabama ...... 15 Figure 14. Hydrograph for Yellow River Alabama Highway 55 river gage on Yellow River in Covington County, Alabama ...... 16 Figure 15. Normalized hydrograph for Yellow River Alabama Highway 55 river gage on Yellow River in Covington County, Alabama ...... 16 Figure 16. Yellow River Alabama Highway 55 river gage on Yellow River in Covington County, Alabama ...... 17 Figure 17. Normalized percentiles for Yellow River Alabama Highway 55 river gage on Yellow River in Covington County, Alabama ...... 17 Figure 18. Hydrograph for Yellow River U.S. Highway 84 river gage on Yellow River in Covington County, Alabama ...... 19 Figure 19. Yellow River U.S. Highway 84 river gage on Yellow River in Covington County, Alabama ...... 19 Figure 20. Hydrograph for Ariton river gage on the Pea River in Dale County, Alabama ...... 20 Figure 21. Ariton river gage on the Pea River in Dale County, Alabama ...... 20 Figure 22. Hydrograph for Daleville 1 river gage on Claybank Creek in Dale County, Alabama ...... 22

iv CONTENTS—Continued

Figure 23. Daleville 1 river gage on Claybank Creek in Dale County, Alabama ...... 22 Figure 24. Hydrograph for Daleville 2 river gage on Choctawhatchee River in Dale County, Alabama ...... 23 Figure 25. Daleville 2 river gage on Choctawhatchee River in Dale County, Alabama ...... 23 Figure 26. Hydrograph for Newton river gage on Choctawhatchee River in Dale County, Alabama ...... 24 Figure 27. Newton river gage on Choctawhatchee River, Alabama ...... 24 Figure 28. Hydrograph for Ozark river gage on Little Claybank Creek in Dale County, Alabama ...... 26 Figure 29. Ozark river gage on Little Claybank Creek in Dale County, Alabama ...... 26 Figure 30. Hydrograph for Skipperville river gage on West Fork Choctawhatchee River in Dale County, Alabama ...... 27 Figure 31. Normalized hydrograph for Skipperville river gage on West Fork Choctawhatchee River in Dale County, Alabama ...... 27 Figure 32. Skipperville river gage on West Fork Choctawhatchee River in Dale County, Alabama ...... 28 Figure 33. Normalized percentiles for Skipperville river gage on West Fork Choctawhatchee River in Dale County, Alabama ...... 28 Figure 34. Hydrograph for Geneva river gage on Choctawhatchee River in Geneva County, Alabama ...... 30 Figure 35. Normalized hydrograph for Geneva river gage on Choctawhatchee River in Geneva County, Alabama ...... 30 Figure 36. Geneva river gage on Choctawhatchee River in Dale County, Alabama ...... 31 Figure 37. Normalized percentiles for Geneva river gage on Choctawhatchee River in Dale County, Alabama ...... 31 Figure 38. Hydrograph for Sellersville river gage on Double Bridges Creek in Geneva County, Alabama ...... 33 Figure 39. Sellersville river gage on Double Bridges Creek in Geneva County, Alabama ...... 33 Figure 40. Hydrograph for East Fork river gage on East Fork Choctawhatchee River in Henry County, Alabama ...... 34 Figure 41. East Fork river gage on East Fork Choctawhatchee River in Henry County, Alabama ...... 34 Figure 42. Hydrograph for Dothan river gage on Little Choctawhatchee River in Houston County, Alabama ...... 35 Figure 43. Dothan river gage on Little Choctawhatchee River in Houston County, Alabama ...... 35

ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS Alphabetically arranged by “Term” Column Term Abbreviation Choctawhatchee, Pea and Yellow Rivers Watershed CPYRW Choctawhatchee, Pea and Yellow Rivers Watershed Management Authority CPYRWMA Alabama Water Agencies Working Group AWAWG Feet or Foot ft Feet per mile ft/mi Flood Warning System FWS Geological Survey of Alabama GSA Inch in. National Weather Service NWS U.S. Army Corps of Engineers USACE U.S. Geological Survey USGS Water Year WY

MEASUREMENT CONVERSION CHART (from Hansen, 1991)

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Choctawhatchee, Pea, and Yellow Rivers watersheds (CPYRW) encompass a substantial portion of southeast Alabama. The Choctawhatchee, Pea and Yellow Rivers Watershed Management Authority (CPYRWMA) develops and executes plans related to water resource management for counties within the watershed boundaries, and it is unique in the fact that it is the only watershed management authority within the state of Alabama. The management authority was created by the Alabama Legislature in 1991 (Act No. 91-602) to “develop and execute plans and programs relating to any phase of conservation of water, water usage, flood prevention, flood control, water pollution control, wildlife habitat protection, agricultural and timberland protection, erosion prevention, and control of erosion, floodwater and sediment damage”. The jurisdiction of the CPYRWMA covers approximately 2,328,000 acres in all or part of ten southeastern Alabama counties. The CPYRWMA is significant in the fact that it operates and maintains the only basin-wide Flood Warning System (FWS) in Alabama, which was installed in 1993. Currently the CPYRWMA has 22 flood warning gages, of which 17 gages measure both precipitation and river levels and 5 gages measure only precipitation. The National Weather Service (NWS) utilizes data from the FWS to determine potential flood threats and to issue flood forecasts for streams and rivers in the region. Many of the river gages now have sufficient daily data to calculate percentile rankings of the river levels. Daily percentiles were calculated for each river gage and assigned to one of the following ranks: well below normal (10th percentile), below normal (25th percentile), normal (50th percentile), above normal (75th percentile), and well above normal (90th percentile). Daily percentiles were calculated from the initial measurement for each gage site through December 2016 and plotted along with Water Year (WY) 2016 river levels. Through plotting the percentiles and WY2016 data, river levels from WY2016 can be categorized and ranked based on the historical percentiles for each gage. Of the 17 river level gages, 10 gages had record high average daily river levels in late December 2015. Data presented herein will be valuable to forecasters, the public, and CPYRWMA by providing historical rankings with current water level data daily, which will be accessible online via the CPYRWMA website. Since a few of the flood warning sites were installed within the last few years, more daily data is needed to accurately determine the percentiles for these stations. It is also recommended that every five years the percentiles be recalculated to reflect the river levels recorded since this publication. Further studies should be conducted at each of the river gages to rate the stream for discharge. It is recommended that gages on the main branches of the CPYRW be rated for flow purposes, allowing correlation of river levels with flow. The following gage locations would provide valuable flow data if they were rated: Geneva river gage on Choctawhatchee River, Yellow River Alabama Highway 55 river gage on Yellow River, and Elba river gage on Pea River.

CHOCTAWHATCHEE, PEA AND YELLOW RIVERS WATERSHED MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY FLOOD WARNING SYSTEM PERCENTILE RANKINGS Amye S. Hinson

INTRODUCTION The Choctawhatchee, Pea and Yellow Rivers Watershed Management Authority (CPYRWMA) was established in January 1989 with organization of the Choctawhatchee- Pea River Improvement Association. Later that year, the organization filed a petition with the Soil and Water Conservation Committee and the Watershed Conservancy Districts Law of Alabama and became the Choctawhatchee-Pea Conservancy District. In May 1991, the Alabama Legislature passed Act No. 91-602, which authorized the establishment of watershed management authorities for the purpose of managing and protecting watersheds throughout the state. In September of 1991, the Choctawhatchee- Pea River Water Management Authority became Alabama’s first watershed management authority. In January 1997, the Yellow River was added to the watershed management authority, thus creating the Choctawhatchee, Pea and Yellow River Watershed Management Authority (CPYRWMA, 2017a). The Choctawhatchee, Pea, and Yellow Rivers Watersheds covers approximately 3,637 square miles in all or part of ten southeastern Alabama counties (fig. 1) (Hinson and others, 2015). Since its inception, the mission of the CPYRWMA has been to “develop and execute plans and programs relating to any phase of conservation of water, water usage, flood prevention, flood control, water pollution control, wildlife habitat protection, agricultural and timberland protection, erosion prevention, and control of erosion, floodwater and sediment damage” (Hinson and others, 2015). Since 1993, the CPYRWMA has operated and maintained the only basin-wide Flood Warning System (FWS) in Alabama, with 17 precipitation/river level gages and 5 precipitation only gages (fig. 1). The purpose of this project was to calculated daily percentiles for each river gage, which can then be incorporated into the CPYRWMA website, so that daily river levels can be plotted alongside the percentiles to compare how the current water levels for each gage rank in comparison to historical levels. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Geological Survey of Alabama (GSA) acknowledges those individuals and entities that made this work possible. The Choctawhatchee, Pea and Yellow Rivers Watershed Management Authority, Barbara Gibson, Executive Director, and Donald L. Hyde, Flood Warning System Specialist. STUDY AREA The CPYRW is located in southeast Alabama in the East Gulf Coastal Plain physiographic section (fig. 2). Physiography relates to the structure and type of underlying geologic formations and local geologic and climatic forces that shape the landscape and is one of several determinants of natural flow patterns, rates of groundwater recharge and base flow contributions to streams, and water-quality conditions (GSA, 2017). The East Gulf Coast Plain physiographic section is characterized by gently rolling hills, sharp ridges

Figure 1. Choctawhatchee, Pea and Yellow Rivers watersheds in southeastern Alabama.

Figure 2. Physiographic districts in the Choctawhatchee, Pea, and Yellow Rivers region.

prairies, and alluvial flood plain. The region is underlain by geological units that are sedimentary in origin and consists of sand, gravel, porous limestone, chalk, marl, and clay. The subsurface strata dips south-southwest at approximately 35 to 40 feet per mile (ft/mi) and strikes generally westward (Hinson and others, 2015). Figure. 3 shows the outcrop of geologic units in the CPYRW. The CPYRW lies within the South Atlantic-Gulf hydrologic region (03) and in the Choctawhatchee-Escambia subregion (0314). The Choctawhatchee River (031402) is further divided into the Upper Choctawhatchee subbasin (03140201) and the Lower Choctawhatchee Subbasin (03140203). The Pea River subbasin (03140202) is also located within the Choctawhatchee Basin. The Yellow River subbasin (031401403) is located within the Florida Panhandle Coastal Basin (031401) (Hinson and others, 2015). PREVIOUS STUDIES Since its inception, the CPYRWMA has commissioned many water resource studies with many organizations (appendix A). Of the 298 projects commissioned by the CPYRWMA, 25 have been co-sponsored by GSA. In 2015, GSA published the “Choctawhatchee, Pea and Yellow Rivers Watershed Management Plan” providing a framework for future watershed issues and recommendations as well as providing valuable information needed for protecting and preserving the natural resources of the CPYRW (Hinson and others, 2015). This project is a direct result of the Watershed Management Plan and will aide the CPYRWMA, stakeholders, public, and other agencies by providing statistical percentiles for historical water levels to afford a context for current river levels. METHODOLOGY Data for each river level gage and precipitation gage are collected by the CPYRWMA and stored in a Microsoft Access database. All available data from each gage was extracted from the Microsoft Access database for statistical analysis. Precipitation and river level data was filtered for each site by removing erroneous data from the database (i.e., when the meter was tested, excessively high or low spikes outside of the normal ranges). Every measurement recorded was compared to daily rainfall (if any) for the gages to determine if the data recorded was the normal river level or due to rain events. All data removed was maintained in a separate file and is available. Once erroneous data was removed the average daily river levels for each day were calculated. This data was then tabulated in Microsoft Excel and plotted, creating a river level hydrograph for the period of record for each gage. The percentile is a measure indicating the value below which a given percentage of observations in a group of observations fall (U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), 2011). For example, the 90th percentile is equal to or greater than 90 percent of the values measured on this day of the year during all years that measurement have been made (USGS, 2011).

Figure 3. Geologic map for the Choctawhatchee, Pea and Yellow Rivers watersheds (modified from Osborne and others, 1989).

The 10th (well below normal), 25th (below normal), 50th (normal), 75th (above normal), and 90th (well above normal) percentiles were calculated for daily measurements over the period of record. The daily percentiles were then plotted based on the percentile ranks. Water Year (WY) 2016, which occurred from October 1, 2015, through September 30, 2016, was then plotted on the percentile graph to allow for comparison of river levels in 2016 against historical percentile levels. A few gages showed evidence of the pressure transducer being repositioned. As such river levels for those gages were adjusted based on current river level statistics, with the methodology used described in each of the gage sections that were adjusted. FLOOD WARNING SYSTEM The CPYRWMA operates and maintains 17 precipitation/river level gages and 5 precipitation only gages (fig. 1, table 1). The FWS was originally installed in 1993 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Mobile District, as a result of a congressionally authorized Reconnaissance Study (Hinson and others, 2015). The FWS is intended to provide timely, reliable, and accurate flood warnings to communities along the Choctawhatchee, Pea, and Yellow Rivers, which could be subject to flooding during periods of heavy precipitation (CPYRWMA, 2017b) and is currently the only basin-wide FWS in the state of Alabama. The river gages electronically monitor river levels in approximately 1.5-inch increments with either a pressure transducer or radar sensor (CPYRWMA, 2013). Of the 17 river gages, only 3 gages are equipped with radar river level monitors: Yellow River on Alabama Highway 84 in Covington County, Geneva in Geneva County on the Choctawhatchee River, and Daleville 2 in Dale County on the Choctawhatchee River, which were installed in February 2015, August 2015, and January 2016, respectively. The rainfall gages measure precipitation in 0.04-inch increments (CPYRWMA, 2013). If there is no rainfall or change in river level, a gage will report every 12 hours; however, a report will be sent more frequently if there is at least 0.04 inch of rain or when the river level changes by 1.5 inches (CPYRWMA, 2013). The data collected from the gages is sent to one of four repeaters located on towers, which in turn transmit the data to base computers located in the cities of Elba, Geneva, and New Brockton via radio signal (CPYRWMA, 2013). The system is constantly monitored during heavy precipitation and/or inclement weather by the CPYRWMA, which disseminates the data to local Emergency Management Agencies (EMA) and the National Weather Service (NWS), which has the legal authority to monitor potential flood threats and issue formal flood warnings (CPYRWMA, 2013). BARBOUR COUNTY Barbour County has two FWS gages, Star Hill and Texasville. Star Hill is a precipitation-only gage located near Alabama Highway 239 South in the community of Star Hill, Barbour County and near the headwaters of the Pea River. River levels at Texasville are measured with a pressure transducer.

Table 1. Location of Flood Warning System gages in Choctawhatchee, Pea and Yellow River watersheds in southeastern Alabama.

County Latitude Longitude Gage Name Cross Road Waterbody Alabama Highway Barbour1 31.9397 -85.6145 Star Hill 239 south Pea River Alabama Highway East Fork Choctawhatchee Barbour 31.7407 -85.3551 Texasville 131 south River Alabama Highway 87 Coffee 31.4887 -86.0531 Big Creek north Big Creek Coffee 31.4123 -86.0635 Elba U.S. Highway 84 east Pea River 137 Lester Drive, Coffee1 31.3216 -85.8445 Enterprise Enterprise - Folsom Alabama Highway Coffee 31.4721 -85.9043 Bridge 167 north Pea River Coffee 31.5379 -85.9820 Lowry Mill County Highway 215 Whitewater Creek New 1065 McKinnon Coffee1 31.3771 -85.9158 Brockton Street, New Brockton - Yellow River Alabama Highway 55 Covington 31.0947 -86.4352 Hwy 55 north Yellow River Yellow River Covington 31.2737 -86.3489 Hwy 84 U.S. Highway 84 east Yellow River U.S. Highway 231 Dale 31.5950 -85.7830 Ariton north Pea River Dale 31.3055 -85.7438 Daleville 1 U.S. Highway 84 west Claybank Creek Dale 31.2753 -85.6779 Daleville 2 U.S. Highway 84 east Choctawhatchee River Alabama Highway Dale 31.3431 -85.6109 Newton 123 north Choctawhatchee River U.S. Highway 231 Dale 31.4582 -85.6683 Ozark north Claybank Creek At Alabama Highway Dale 31.5702 -85.4956 Skipperville 105 north West Fork Choctawhatchee Alabama Highway 52 Geneva 31.0410 -85.8521 Geneva east Choctawhatchee River Geneva 31.1292 -85.9808 Sellersville County Highway 40 Double Bridges Creek Alabama Highway 27 East Fork Choctawhatchee Henry 31.4995 -85.3682 East Fork east River Alabama Highway 27 East Fork Choctawhatchee Houston 31.2468 -85.4818 Dothan east River Alabama Highway Pike1 31.7861 -85.6656 Shiloh 130 west Pea River 400 Pell Avenue, Pike1 31.7969 -85.9586 Troy Troy -

1Precipitation-only gages

TEXASVILLE The Texasville precipitation/river level gage is located near Texasville on Alabama Highway 131 South in Barbour County on the East Fork Choctawhatchee River. River level data for the Texasville gage dates to February 27, 2000 (fig. 4). The long-term hydrograph shows the periods of high river levels during rain events and low river levels during times of significantly less rainfall, along with the normal level of the river. There are some periods where the level that the gage is stationed appears to have changed, so the water levels are not adjusted with respect with the changing gage height, as these periods are very brief and the effects of these changes on the statistical percentiles are insignificant. A more in-depth hydrological study of the Texasville gage should be performed to adequately determine the proper placement and setting for the gage. From the hydrograph, the maximum average daily river level of 6.58 ft occurred on December 24, 2015, when the cumulative rainfall was 5.07 inches on December 23 and December 24. Percentiles were calculated for the Texasville gage for the period of record from 2000 through 2016 and plotted with WY2016 (fig. 5). From the hydrograph and percentiles, average daily river levels during the water year were either at or above normal, with maximum average daily river levels recorded in late December 2015. As noted in the preceding paragraph, the percentiles are most likely skewed due to the difference of the location of the pressure transducer. COFFEE COUNTY Coffee County has six FWS gages, Big Creek, Elba, Enterprise, Folsom Bridge, Lowry Mill, and New Brockton. Enterprise and New Brockton are precipitation only gages, with the Enterprise gage located on Lester Drive in Enterprise, and the New Brockton gage located on McKinnon Street in New Brockton. The other four gages, Big Creek, Elba, Folsom Bridge, and Lowry Mill are precipitation/river level gages. All of the river gages use pressure transducers to measure river levels in Coffee County. BIG CREEK The Big Creek precipitation/river level gage is located on Big Creek in Coffee County, just before the confluence of Big Creek and Whitewater Creek into the Pea River on Alabama Highway 87 North. River level data for this gage dates to February 27, 2000 (fig. 6). The long-term hydrograph shows the periods of high river levels during rain events and low river levels during times of significantly less rainfall, along with the normal level of the river. From the hydrograph, the maximum average daily river level of 25.96 ft occurred on December 25, 2015, when the cumulative rainfall for the four previous days was 8.92 inches. Percentiles were calculated for the Big Creek gage for the period of record from 2000 through 2016 and plotted with WY2016 (fig. 7). From the hydrograph and percentiles, average daily river levels during the water year were either at or above normal for the majority of the year, with maximum average daily river levels recorded in late

Figure 4. Hydrograph for Texasville river gage on East Fork Choctawhatchee River in Barbour County, Alabama.

Figure 5. Texasville river gage on East Fork Choctawhatchee River in Barbour County, Alabama.

Figure 6. Hydrograph for Big Creek river gage on Big Creek in Coffee County, Alabama.

Figure 7. Big Creek river gage on Big Creek in Coffee County, Alabama.

December 2015. River levels did fall below normal and well below normal during parts of October and December 2015 of WY2016. ELBA The Elba precipitation/river level gage is located near Elba on U.S. Highway 84 East in Coffee County on the Pea River. River level data for this gage dates to February 27, 2000 (fig. 8). The long-term hydrograph shows the periods of high river levels during rain events and low river levels during times of significantly less rainfall, along with the normal level of the river. From the hydrograph, the maximum average daily river level of 40.56 ft occurred on December 26, 2015, when the cumulative rainfall from December 21 through December 24, 2015, was 10.64 inches. Percentiles were calculated for the Elba gage for the period of record from 2000 through 2016 and plotted with WY2016 (fig. 9). River levels during WY2016 were either at or above normal from October through January, then river levels fluctuated between normal to well below normal for the latter part of the water year. Drought impacts were prevalent from May through September of WY2016, as indicated by the well below normal river levels. Maximum average daily river levels for WY2016 were recorded in late December 2015. FOLSOM BRIDGE The Folsom Bridge precipitation/river level gage is located near Folsom Bridge on Alabama Highway 167 North in Coffee County on the Pea River. River level data for this gage dates to February 27, 2000 (fig. 10). The long-term hydrograph shows periods of high river levels during rain events and low river levels during times of significantly less rainfall, along with the normal level of the river. From the hydrograph, the maximum average daily river level of 24.59 ft occurred on December 26, 2015, when the cumulative rainfall from December 21 through December 24, 2015, was 14.36 inches. The long-term hydrograph shows periods when the pressure transducer was unable to measure river levels below a certain level, as evident by the flatlines in 2011, 2012, and late 2016. Percentiles were calculated for the Folsom Bridge gage for the period of record from 2000 through 2016 and plotted with WY2016 (fig. 11). From the hydrograph and percentiles, river levels during the water year were below normal through November 2015, then levels were either at or above normal from November through mid-August 2016, when the rivers levels declined to below normal. Maximum average daily river levels for WY2016 were recorded in late December 2015. Water levels were below the pressure transducer in October and August through September for WY2016. LOWRY MILL The Lowry Mill precipitation/river level gage is located near Lowry Mill in Coffee County, on Whitewater Creek. River level data for this gage dates to February 27, 2000 (fig. 12). The long-term hydrograph shows periods of high river levels during rain events and low river levels during times of significantly less rainfall, along with the normal level of the river. From the hydrograph, the maximum average daily river level of 20.51 ft

Figure 8. Hydrograph for Elba river gage on Pea River in Coffee County, Alabama.

Figure 9. Elba river gage on Pea River in Coffee County, Alabama.

Figure 10. Hydrograph for Folsom Bridge river gage on Pea River in Coffee County, Alabama.

Figure 11. Folsom Bridge river gage on Pea River in Coffee County, Alabama.

occurred on December 15, 2009, when the cumulative rainfall from December 12 through December 15, 2009, was 9.64 inches. Percentiles were calculated for the Lowry Mill gage for the period of record from 2000 through 2016 and plotted with WY2016 (fig. 13). From the hydrograph and percentiles, river levels during the vast majority of the water year were at normal river levels or above, with the exception of late October when the river levels were below normal. Maximum average daily river levels were recorded in late December 2015 for WY2016. COVINGTON COUNTY Covington County has two FWS gages, Yellow River Alabama Highway 55 and Yellow River U.S. Highway 84, both of which are precipitation/river level gages. Yellow River Alabama Highway 55 uses a pressure transducer to measure the river level, whereas Yellow River U.S. Highway 84 uses radar. YELLOW RIVER ALABAMA HIGHWAY 55 The Yellow River Alabama Highway 55 precipitation/river level gage is located at Alabama Highway 55 in Covington County on the Yellow River. River level data for the gage dates to June 28, 2001 (fig. 14). The long-term hydrograph shows periods of high river levels during rain events and low river levels during times of significantly less rainfall. There are some periods where the level that the gage is stationed appears to have changed, so the water levels were adjusted with respect with the changing gage height (fig. 15). The arithmetic mean was calculated for each period of similar gage heights and subtracted from the most recent arithmetic mean for the river levels (December 26, 2011 through present record). This factor was then applied to the period of record to produce fig. 15. A factor of +4.6359 ft was added to river levels from June 28, 2001 to June 12, 2003, and a factor of +1.3848 ft was added to river levels from February 13, 2004 to December 23, 2011. A more in-depth hydrological study of the Yellow River Alabama Highway 55 gage should be performed to adequately determine the proper placement of the gage. From the hydrograph, the maximum average daily river level of 21.57 ft occurred on December 25, 2015 for the unadjusted values, when the cumulative rainfall from December 21 through December 24, 2015, was 4.32 inches. Percentiles were calculated for the Alabama Highway 55 gage for the period of record from 2001 through 2016 and plotted with WY2016 (fig. 16). River levels during the entire 2016 water year were either within the normal range or above. Maximum average daily river levels were recorded in late December 2015 for WY2016. For WY2016, the pressure transducer for Yellow River Alabama Highway 55 gage did not measure water levels below 5.2 ft, as shown by the flat lines on figure 16 for October and May through September. The pressure transducer should be checked for accuracy and better placement. Percentiles were also calculated using the normalized river levels and plotted with WY2016 (fig. 17). Through comparison of the raw percentiles (fig. 16) and the normalized percentiles (fig. 17), the percentiles did shift, with the range for the 10th percentile increasing, while the range for the 25th, and 50th decreased. Based on the normalized

Figure 12. Hydrograph for Lowry Mill river gage on Whitewater Creek in Coffee County, Alabama.

Figure 13. Lowry Mill river gage on Whitewater Creek in Coffee County, Alabama.

Figure 14. Hydrograph for Yellow River Alabama Highway 55 river gage on Yellow River in Covington County, Alabama.

Figure 15. Normalized hydrograph for Yellow River Alabama Highway 55 river gage on Yellow River in Covington County, Alabama.

Figure 16. Yellow River Alabama Highway 55 river gage on Yellow River in Covington County, Alabama.

Figure 17. Normalized percentiles for Yellow River Alabama Highway 55 river gage on Yellow River in Covington County, Alabama.

river levels, the river levels for this gage fluctuated from normal or above normal in October through November, the below and well below normal in December, then fluctuating from below normal to well above normal through the rest of WY2016. YELLOW RIVER U.S. HIGHWAY 84 The Yellow River U.S. Highway 84 precipitation/river level gage is located near U.S. Highway 84 East at Yellow River Bridge in Covington County on the Yellow River. River level data for the gage dates to November 3, 2014 (fig. 18). As noted previously, river levels at this gage are measured by radar, which was installed on February 5, 2015, with previous measurements recorded by a pressure transducer. The short-term hydrograph shows periods of high river levels during rain events and low river levels during times of significantly less rainfall, along with the normal level of the river. From the hydrograph, the maximum average daily river level of 9.6 ft occurred on December 24, 2015, when the cumulative rainfall from December 21 through December 25, 2015, was 10.3 inches. Percentiles were calculated for the U.S. Highway 84 gage for the period of record from 2014 through 2016 and plotted with WY2016; however, it is not recommended that percentiles be shown on the CPYRWMA website until percentiles can be recalculated with sufficient data (fig. 19). DALE COUNTY Dale County has six FWS gages: Ariton, Daleville 1, Daleville 2, Newton, Ozark, and Skipperville, all of which are precipitation/river level gages. Of the six gages in Dale County, five of the gages use a pressure transducer to measure the river level, whereas Daleville 2 uses radar to measure the river level. ARITON The Ariton precipitation/river level gage is located near Ariton on U.S. Highway 231 North in Dale County on the Pea River. River level data for this gage dates to February 27, 2000 (fig. 20). The long-term hydrograph shows the periods of high river levels during rain events and low river levels during times of significantly less rainfall, along with the normal level of the river. From the hydrograph, the maximum average daily river level of 23.54 ft occurred on December 25, 2015, when the cumulative rainfall from December 21 through December 24, 2015, was 13.84 inches. Percentiles were calculated for the Ariton gage for the period of record from 2000 through 2016 and plotted with WY2016 (fig. 21). From the hydrograph and percentiles, river levels during the water year were within the normal range or above during the entire water year. Maximum average daily river levels were recorded in late December 2015 for WY2016. DALEVILLE 1 The Daleville 1 precipitation/river level gage is located near Daleville on U.S. Highway 84 West in Dale County on Claybank Creek. River level data for this gage dates

Figure 18. Hydrograph for Yellow River U.S. Highway 84 river gage on Yellow River in Covington County, Alabama.

Figure 19. Yellow River U.S. Highway 84 river gage on Yellow River in Covington County, Alabama.

Figure 20. Hydrograph for Ariton river gage on the Pea River in Dale County, Alabama.

Figure 21. Ariton river gage on the Pea River in Dale County, Alabama.

to August 2, 2000 (fig. 22). The long-term hydrograph shows the periods of high river levels during rain events and low river levels during times of significantly less rainfall, along with the normal level of the river. Issues with the pressure traducer occurred from August 2006 through February 2009, as noted by the flatline on figure 20, when river levels were not measured below 0.27 ft. From the hydrograph, the maximum average daily river level of 18.45 ft occurred on December 15, 2009, when the cumulative rainfall from December 12 through December 15, 2009, was 7.92 inches. Percentiles were calculated for the Daleville 1 gage for the period of record from 2000 through 2016 and plotted with WY2016 (fig. 23). From the hydrograph and percentiles, river levels during the water year were within the normal range or above during the entire water year. Maximum average daily river levels were recorded in late December 2015 for WY2016. DALEVILLE 2 The Daleville 2 precipitation/river level gage is located near Daleville on U.S. Highway 84 in Dale County on the Choctawhatchee River. River level data for this gage dates to December 7, 2015 (fig. 24). As noted previously, this site has a radar gage, which was installed on January 7, 2016, with previous measurements recorded by a pressure transducer. The short-term hydrograph shows the periods of high river levels during rain events and the low river levels during times of significantly less rainfall. From the hydrograph, the maximum average daily river level of 24.13 ft occurred on December 26, 2015, when the cumulative rainfall from December 22 through December 24, 2015, was 4.17 inches. Percentiles were calculated for the Daleville 2 gage for the period of record from 2015 through 2016 and plotted with WY2016 (fig. 25); however, it is not recommended that percentiles be shown on the CPYRWMA website until percentiles can be recalculated with sufficient data. NEWTON The Newton precipitation/river level gage is located near Newton on Alabama Highway 123 North in Dale County on the Choctawhatchee River. River level data for this gage dates to February 27, 2000 (fig. 26). The long-term hydrograph shows the periods of high river levels during rain events and low river levels during times of significantly less rainfall, along with the normal level of the river. From the hydrograph, the maximum average daily river level of 29.91 ft occurred on December 16, 2009. Percentiles were calculated for the Ariton gage for the period of record from 2000 through 2016 and plotted with WY2016 (fig. 27). From the hydrograph and percentiles, river levels during the water year were within the normal range or above during the entire water year. Maximum average daily river levels were recorded in late December 2015 for WY2016.

Figure 22. Hydrograph for Daleville 1 river gage on Claybank Creek in Dale County, Alabama.

Figure 23. Daleville 1 river gage on Claybank Creek in Dale County, Alabama.

Figure 24. Hydrograph for Daleville 2 river gage on Choctawhatchee River in Dale County, Alabama.

Figure 25. Daleville 2 river gage on Choctawhatchee River in Dale County, Alabama.

Figure 26. Hydrograph for Newton river gage on Choctawhatchee River in Dale County, Alabama.

Figure 27. Newton river gage on Choctawhatchee River, Alabama.

OZARK The Ozark precipitation/river level gage is located near Ozark on U.S. Highway 231 North in Dale County on Little Claybank Creek. River level data for this gage dates to August 3, 2010 (fig. 28). The short-term hydrograph shows the periods of high river levels during rain events and low river levels during times of significantly less rainfall, along with the normal level of the river. From the hydrograph, the maximum average daily river level of 5.58 ft occurred on December 23, 2015. Percentiles were calculated for the Ozark gage for the period of record from 2010 through 2016 and plotted with WY2016 (fig. 29). From the hydrograph and percentiles, river levels during the water year were within the normal range or above during the majority of the year, with the exception of October 2015 when river levels were well below normal. Maximum average daily river levels were recorded in late December 2015 for WY2016. SKIPPERVILLE The Skipperville precipitation/river level gage is located near Skipperville on Alabama Highway 105 North in Dale County on the West Fork of the Choctawhatchee River. River level data for this gage dates to February 27, 2000 (fig. 30). The long-term hydrograph shows the periods of high river levels during rain events and low river levels during times of significantly less rainfall, along with the normal level of the river. The period from 2000 through mid-2006 shows a different gage height than the following river levels recorded; therefore, these early river levels were adjusted with respect to the changing gage height (fig. 31). The arithmetic mean was calculated for each period of similar gage heights and subtracted from the most recent arithmetic mean for the river levels. This factor was then applied to the periods of record to produce figure 31. A factor of +4.29 ft was added to river levels from February 27, 2000 to March 19, 2006. A more in-depth hydrological study of the Skipperville gage should be performed to adequately determine the proper placement of the gage. From the hydrograph, the maximum average daily river level of 18.2140 ft occurred on March 28, 2005. Percentiles were calculated for the Skipperville gage for the period of record from 2000 through 2016 and plotted with WY2016 (fig. 32). From the hydrograph and percentiles, river levels during the water year were within the normal range or above during the entire water year. Maximum average daily river levels were recorded in late December 2015 for WY2016. Percentiles were also calculated using the normalized river levels and plotted with WY2016 (fig. 33). Through comparison of the raw percentiles (fig. 32) and the normalized percentiles (fig. 33), the percentiles did shift, with the range for the 10th percentile increasing, while the range for the other percentile rankings decreased. Based on the normalized river levels, the river levels for this gage fluctuated from normal to well above normal during WY2016.

Figure 28. Hydrograph for Ozark river gage on Little Claybank Creek in Dale County, Alabama.

Figure 29. Ozark river gage on Little Claybank Creek in Dale County, Alabama.

Figure 30. Hydrograph for Skipperville river gage on West Fork Choctawhatchee River in Dale County, Alabama.

Figure 31. Normalized hydrograph for Skipperville river gage on West Fork Choctawhatchee River in Dale County, Alabama.

Figure 32. Skipperville river gage on West Fork Choctawhatchee River in Dale County, Alabama.

Figure 33. Normalized percentiles for Skipperville river gage on West Fork Choctawhatchee River in Dale County, Alabama.

GENEVA COUNTY Geneva County has two FWS gages, Geneva and Sellersville, both of which measure precipitation and river stage levels. The Geneva gage measures river levels with a radar, while at Sellersville the river level is measured with a pressure transducer. GENEVA The Geneva precipitation/river level gage is located near Geneva on Alabama Highway 52 East in Geneva County on the Choctawhatchee River. River level data for this gage dates to March 17, 2000 (fig. 34). As previously mentioned, river levels at this gage are now measured by radar, which was installed on August 18, 2015, with previous measurements recorded by a pressure transducer. The long-term hydrograph shows the periods of high river levels during rain events and low river levels during times of significantly less rainfall, along with the normal level of the river. The period from October 18, 2006 through 2014 shows a different gage height than the preceding and following river levels recorded; therefore, these river levels were adjusted with respect with the changing gage height (fig. 35). The arithmetic mean was calculated for each period of similar gage heights and subtracted from the most recent arithmetic mean for the river levels. This factor was then applied to the periods of record to produce figure 35. A factor of -0.98 ft was subtracted from river levels from October 18, 2006 through 2014. Issues with the radar occurred in 2001 and 2003-2014, as noted by the flatlines on figure 34. From the hydrograph, the maximum average daily river level of 33.07 ft occurred on March 30, 2009, when rainfall on March 28, 2009, was 9.96 inches. Percentiles were calculated for the Geneva gage for the period of record from 2000 through 2016 and plotted with WY2016 (fig. 36). From the hydrograph and percentiles, river levels during the water year were within the normal range or above during the majority of the year, with the exception of October 2015 and late June 2016 through the end of WY2016. Maximum average daily river levels were recorded in late December 2015 for WY2016. Percentiles were also calculated using the normalized river levels and plotted with WY2016 (fig. 37). Through comparison of the raw percentiles (fig. 36) and the normalized percentiles (fig. 37), the percentiles did shift. The range for the 10th and 25th percentiles decreased, while the range for the 50th percentile increased. Based on the normalized river levels, the river levels for this gage fluctuated from normal to well above normal during the majority of WY2016, and declined to well below normal during late August through September. SELLERSVILLE The Sellersville precipitation/river level gage is located near Sellersville on County Highway 40 in Geneva County on Double Bridges Creek. River level data for this gage dates to December 21, 1999 (fig. 38). The long-term hydrograph shows periods of high

Figure 34 – Hydrograph for Geneva river gage on Choctawhatchee River in Geneva County, Alabama.

Figure 35 – Normalized hydrograph for Geneva river gage on Choctawhatchee River in Geneva County, Alabama.

Figure 36. Geneva river gage on Choctawhatchee River in Dale County, Alabama.

Figure 37. Normalized percentiles for Geneva river gage on Choctawhatchee River in Dale County, Alabama.

river levels during rain events and low river levels during times of significantly less rainfall, along with the normal level of the river. From the hydrograph, the maximum average daily river level of 13.20 ft occurred on April 2, 2016, when the cumulative rainfall from March 31 through April 2, 2016 was 7.32 inches. Percentiles were calculated for the Sellersville gage for the period of record from 2000 through 2016 and plotted with WY2016 (fig. 39). From the hydrograph and percentiles, river levels during the water year were within the normal range or above during the majority of the year. Maximum average daily river levels were recorded on April 2, 2016, for WY2016. HENRY COUNTY Henry County has one FWS gages, East Fork, which measures precipitation and river stage levels. The river level is measured with a pressure transducer. EAST FORK The East Fork precipitation/river level gage is located near Alabama Highway 27 East in Henry County on the East Fork Choctawhatchee River. River level data for this gage dates to November 29, 2001 (fig. 40). The long-term hydrograph shows periods of high river levels during rain events and low river levels during times of significantly less rainfall, along with the normal level of the river. From the hydrograph, the maximum average daily river level of 15.93 ft occurred on April 28, 2005, when the cumulative rainfall from April 26 through April 27, 2005, was 3.9794 inches. Percentiles were calculated for the East Fork gage for the period of record from 2001 through 2016 and plotted with WY2016 (fig. 41). From the hydrograph and percentiles, river levels during the water year were within the normal range or above during the majority of the year, with the exception of mid-March 2016 and parts of June, July, and August 2016. Maximum average daily river levels for WY2016 were recorded on January 1, 2016. HOUSTON COUNTY Houston County has one FWS gage, Dothan, which measures precipitation and river stage levels. River levels are measured by radar. DOTHAN The Dothan precipitation/river level gage is located on North Brannon Stand Road in Houston County on Little Choctawhatchee River. River level data for this gage dates to June 2012 (fig. 42). The long-term hydrograph shows periods of high river levels during rain events and low river levels during times of significantly less rainfall, along with the normal level of the river. From the hydrograph, the maximum average daily river level of 7.23 ft occurred on January 15, 2015. Percentiles were calculated for the Dothan gage for the period of record from 2012 through 2016 and plotted with WY2016 (fig. 43). Maximum average daily river levels were recorded on April 1, 2016. Since this gage has insufficient data due to its recent installation, percentiles should be recalculated for this well once more data is obtained.

Figure 38. Hydrograph for Sellersville river gage on Double Bridges Creek in Geneva County, Alabama.

Figure 39. Sellersville river gage on Double Bridges Creek in Geneva County, Alabama.

Figure 40. Hydrograph for East Fork river gage on East Fork Choctawhatchee River in Henry County, Alabama.

Figure 41. East Fork river gage on East Fork Choctawhatchee River in Henry County, Alabama.

Figure 42. Hydrograph for Dothan river gage on Little Choctawhatchee River in Houston County, Alabama.

Figure 43. Dothan river gage on Little Choctawhatchee River in Houston County, Alabama.

PIKE COUNTY Pike County has two FWS gages, Shiloh and Troy, however both gages only measure precipitation. Shiloh is located on Alabama Highway 130 at Pea River, and Troy is located on 400 Pell Avenue in Troy. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Daily water level hydrographs for 17 river level gages in the CPYRW were described along with daily percentile rankings calculated for the period of record for each gage. Current water levels can be compared to the daily percentile historical record allowing visualization of a flood threat relative to past conditions The pressure transducer signal for some water level stations was variable at extremely low water levels leading to potential error in calculating percentiles, while there was a noticeable shift in water levels at other sites that we suspect was due to repositioning the pressure transducer at different elevations at different times. Replacing pressure transducers with radar units would alleviate these problems resulting in higher quality data that could eventually be used to rate sites with respect to discharge. It is also recommended that the CPYWMA consider creating discharge rating curves for selected gage sites that have a long enough period of record and where the water level instrument appears to have been stable over their life. Consistent water level measurement through time will lead to more accurate determination of percentiles and would be required should these sites be rated for discharge in the future. Four of the river level gages (U.S. Highway 84 in Covington County, Daleville 2 in Dale County, Ozark in Dale County, and Dothan in Houston County) have very short periods of record. Once additional daily river level information has been gathered, these gages will require recalculation of daily percentile rankings. Flow rating curves should be determined for the following gages: Geneva river gage on Choctawhatchee River, Alabama Highway 55 river gage on Yellow River, and Elba river gage on Pea River. Rating these three gages will allow flow determinations for river levels, giving an indication of the quantity of water flowing through these areas.

REFERENCES CITED Choctawhatchee, Pea and Yellow Rivers Watershed Management Authority, 2013, Managing and protecting water resources in southeast Alabama: Geological Survey of Alabama Brochure. Choctawhatchee, Pea and Yellow Rivers Watershed Management Authority, 2017a, History of the Watershed Management Authority: http://www.cpyrwma.alabama.gov/pages/history_page.asp; accessed May 24, 2017. Choctawhatchee, Pea and Yellow Rivers Watershed Management Authority, 2017b, Basin-Wide Flood Warning System: http://www.cpyrwma.alabama.gov/pages/flood_system.asp; accessed May 25, 2017. Geological Survey of Alabama, 2017, Assessment of groundwater resources in Alabama, 2010-16: Alabama Geological Survey Open-File Report 1606, 426 p., plus separately bound volume of 105 plates. Hansen, W. R., editor, 1991, Suggestions to Authors of the Reports of the United States Geological Survey, 7th ed.: Washington, DC, U.S. Geological Survey Suggestions to Authors, p. 123. Hinson, A. S., Rogers, A. L., Cook, M. R., 2015, Choctawhatchee, Pea and Yellow Rivers Watershed Management Plan: Geological Survey of Alabama Information Series 82, 350 p. Osborne, W. E., Szabo, M. W., Copeland, C. W., Jr., and Neathery, T. L., 1989, Geologic map of Alabama (1:500,000): Alabama Geological Survey Special Map 221. Sapp, C. D., and Emplaincourt, Jacques, 1975, Physiographic regions of Alabama: Alabama Geological Survey Special Map 168. U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), 2011, What is a percentile?: https://help.waterdata.usgs.gov/faq/surface-water/what-is-a-percentile; accessed May 25, 2017.

APPENDIX A Choctawhatchee, Pea and Yellow Rivers Watershed Management Authority Projects

Year Project Name Co-Sponsor 1992 Choctawhatchee and Pea River Basins Reconnaissance U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Study 1992 Engineering Evaluation of Levees at Elba and Geneva, Law Engineering Alabama 1993 Lake Jackson at Florala Development Plan City of Florala, Alabama 1993 Dead-Bird Composting Demonstration Project Mid-South RC&D Council 1993 Double Bridges Creek Water Quality Monitoring Wiregrass RC&D Council 1993 Used Petroleum Products Feasibility Study Wiregrass RC&D Council 1993 Composting Demonstration Project Wiregrass RC&D Council 1993 Residential Sewage Disposal Demonstration Project Wiregrass RC&D Council 1993 Roadside Stabilization Utilizing Recycled Tires-Phase I Geneva County Commission 1993 Design and Installation of Flood Warning System for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Choctawhatchee and Pea River Basin 1994 Roadside Stabilization Utilizing Recycled Tires-Phase II Geneva County Commission 1994 Lagoon Pump-Out and Irrigation Demonstration Project Wiregrass RC&D Council 1994 Conservation Tillage Demonstration Project Coffee County S&WCD 1994 Water-Quality Monitoring: Choctawhatchee & Pea Rivers CERS -Troy State University 1994 Hydrologic Characterization of Water Resources of the Geological Survey of Alabama Choctawhatchee and Pea Rivers Watershed-Phase II 1995 Bullock County Water Quality Education Program Mid-South RC&D Council 1995 Yard Waste Composting and Utilization – Phase I Wiregrass RC&D Council 1995 Agency Publicity Production Debra Davis 1995 Agricultural Cropland Amendments Evaluation Auburn University 1995 Agency Long-Range Master Plan Wiregrass RC&D Council 1995 Utilization of Recycled Tires with Sedimentation Basins Geneva County Commission 1995 Water Quality Monitoring – Lake Jackson at Florala CERS -Troy State University 1996 Hydrologic Characterization of Water Resources of the Geological Survey of Alabama Choctawhatchee and Pea Rivers Watershed-Phase II 1996 Agency Publicity Production Debra Davis 1996 Broiler Litter Usage and Education Project Mid-South RC&D Council 1996 Dale County Lake Nature Trail Dale County S&WCD 1996 Coliform Testing of Surface and Ground Water CERS -Troy State University 1996 Wetlands Restoration and Wetlands Park Development - I City of Florala, Alabama 1996 Use of Crushed Dolomite in Road Stabilization Geneva County Commission 1996 Yard Waste Composting and Utilization – Phase II Wiregrass RC&D Council 1996 Mulching Machine Houston County Commission

Year Project Name Co-Sponsor 1996 Application of Sewage Sludge & Broiler Litter to Croplands Auburn University 1996 Gully Stabilization Barbour County Commission 1996 Restoration of Wetlands – II City of Florala, Alabama 1996 Installation of Drop Inlet and Drain Pipe Pike County Commission 1996 Gator Pump Hoses for Geneva Levee City of Geneva, Alabama and Geneva County Commission 1996 “EnviroScapes” (Watershed Models) SE AL Association of S&WCD 1997 Ariton Field Erosion Control and Stabilization Wiregrass RC&D Council 1997 Grimes Street Flood Control Project City of Ozark, Alabama 1997 Implementation Assessment for Water Resource Geological Survey of Alabama Availability, Protection, and Utilization for the Choctawhatchee, Pea and Yellow Rivers Watersheds: Hydrogeology 1997 Elba Minor Levee Rehabilitation Project U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 1997 Geneva Minor Levee Rehabilitation Project U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 1998 Upgrade to Flood Warning System U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 1998 Water Leak Detection Equipment Bullock County S&WCD 1998 Slocomb City Park Erosion Control Project Geneva County S&WCD 1998 City of Elba Levee Pump Station Stabilization City of Elba, Alabama 1998 Pecan St. Land Stabilization and Flood Prevention City of Troy, Alabama 1998 Installation of Gas Monitoring Wells Barbour County Commission 1998 Non-Point Source Pollution in Upper East Fork of Barbour County S&WCD Choctawhatchee Watershed 1998 Elba Levee Engineering and Mapping Services U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 1999 Flood Warning System Additional Upgrades U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 1999 Bacteriological Testing of Watershed Swimming Waters CERS -Troy State University 1999 Enterprise Streambank Stabilization Wiregrass RC&D Council 1999 Recommended Standard Procedures Manual for Polyengineering, Inc. Maintenance of Unpaved Roads 1999 Soil Erosion Control at Pigpen Creek Crenshaw County Commission 1999 Ozark Street Flood Control Project Wiregrass RC&D Council 1999 Roadside Restoration Projects in Choctawhatchee and Pea National Fish and Wildlife Rivers Watersheds Foundation 2000 Elba Outdoor Warning Siren Coffee County EMA 2000 Bridge Abutment and Street Soil Stabilization Project City of Elba, Alabama 2000 Water Resource Protection and Conservation Guide City of Slocomb, Alabama 2000 City of Opp Lagoon Repair Opp Utilities Board

Year Project Name Co-Sponsor 2000 Public Educators’ Watershed Workshops Wiregrass RC&D Council 2000 Harrand Creek Elementary School Outdoor Classroom Enterprise Harrand Creek School 2000 Wicksburg High School Flood Control Project Houston County S&WCD 2000 Forestry Education Tours Alabama Treasure Forest Association 2000 Miranda Street Drainage Improvement Project City of Ozark, Alabama 2000 Flood and Critical Soil Erosion Control Project Pike County S&WCD 2000 Water Quality Monitoring in Choctawhatchee and Pea River CERS -Troy State University Watersheds 2000 Dirt Road Stabilization Demonstration Project Coffee County Commission 2000 Cody Kennedy Road/Pea Creek Stabilization Project Barbour County Commission 2000 Adkinson Road Ditch Restoration Project Houston County Commission 2000 Unpaved Road Stabilization Geneva County Commission 2000 Drip Irrigation System for Longleaf Yellow Pine Memorial Town of Lockhart, Alabama Park – Phase I 2000 Erosion and Drainage Control Project Town of Pinckard, Alabama 2000 Zion Chapel Outdoor Warning Siren Coffee County EMA 2000 Elba Minor Levee Rehabilitation U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2001 Wetlands Assessment for Water Supply Reservoir U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2001 Agricultural Water Demand Study for Reservoir NRCS - Auburn 2001 Flood Warning System Gage on Yellow River Covington County Commission 2001 Surface Water Assessment for Yellow River Watershed Geological Survey of Alabama 2001 Grease Trap Waste Disposal Study Polyengineering, Inc. 2001 Public Educators’ Watershed Workshops Wiregrass RC&D Council 2001 Water Needs Assessment for Southeast Alabama U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2001 Walnut Creek Sediment Retention Pond Pike County S&WCD 2001 Henry County Flood Warning System Gage Henry County Commission 2001 Chemical Sampling and Bio-assessment of the CERS -Troy State University Choctawhatchee, Pea and Yellow Rivers Watersheds 2002 Water Supply Alternatives Study for Southeast Alabama U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2002 Houston County Ground Water Festival Houston Cty. Extension System 2002 Water Quality Monitoring in Choctawhatchee Watershed CERS -Troy State University 2002 Isotopic and Geochemical Assessment of Water from the Geological Survey of Alabama Aquifers of Cretaceous Age 2002 Pike County Ground Water Festival Troy Board of Education

Year Project Name Co-Sponsor 2002 Geneva County Ground Water Festival Geneva County Extension System 2002 Public Educators’ Watershed Workshops Wiregrass RC&D Council 2002 Bullock County Outdoor Warning Siren Bullock County EMA 2002 Mabson Community Educational Forest Project Dale County Forestry Committee 2002 Double Surface Treatment on Dirt Roads near Streams Geneva County Commission 2002 Drip Irrigation System Addition for Longleaf Yellow Pine Town of Lockhart, Alabama Memorial Park – Phase II 2002 Harris Park Erosion Control Project Bullock County Commission 2002 Judy Creek/Dewey Ivey Road Stabilization Project Barbour County Commission 2002 Dale County Library Flood Prevention Project Wiregrass RC&D Council 2003 Surface Water Assessment for Lightwood Knot Creek and Geological Survey of Alabama Lake Frank Jackson in Covington County 2003 Geneva County Ground Water Festival Geneva County Extension System 2003 Dale County Road 38 Water Connector Project Dale County Water Authority 2003 Public Educators’ Watershed Workshops Wiregrass RC&D Council 2003 Persimmon Branch Open Drain Project City of Troy, Alabama 2003 Forestry Erosion Control Utilizing Fire Lanes Mid-South RC&D Council 2003 “Living Streams” Educational Project CERS -Troy State University 2003 Little Choctawhatchee River Water Quality Monitoring CERS -Troy State University 2003 Urban Stream Water Quality Monitoring CERS -Troy State University 2003 Dale County Road 563 Sediment Control Project Dale County Commission 2003 Flood Control on Pin Hook Road Crenshaw County Commission 2003 Cravey Bridge Sediment Control Project Covington County Commission 2003 Agency Geographic Information System Development Geological Survey of Alabama 2003 Water Test Kits Wiregrass RC&D Council 2004 Radio Path Study for Flood Warning System DIAD, Inc. 2004 Public Educators’ Watershed Workshops Wiregrass RC&D Council 2004 Water Quality Assessment for Little Choctawhatchee River Geological Survey of Alabama and Blackwood Creek 2004 Pike County Ground Water Festival Pike County Extension System 2004 Geneva County Ground Water Festival Geneva County Extension System 2004 Wicksburg School Erosion Control/Education Project Wiregrass RC&D Council 2004 Enterprise Park Ave. Streambank Stabilization – Phase I Wiregrass RC&D Council

Year Project Name Co-Sponsor 2004 Hart Street Drainage Project City of Geneva, Alabama 2004 Pine Avenue Drainage Structure Project City of Geneva, Alabama 2004 Zion Chapel Ballfield Erosion Control and Stabilization Coffee County Bd. of Education 2004 Bay Branch Erosion Control Covington County Commission 2004 Assessment of Aquifer Recharge, Ground Water Geological Survey of Alabama Production Impacts, and Future Ground Water Development in Southeast Alabama 2004 Lake Jackson at Florala Hydrogeological Assessment Geological Survey of Alabama 2005 Houston County Ground Water Festival Clayton Water and Sewer Board 2005 Watershed Management Plan – Water Quality Geological Survey of Alabama 2005 Pike County Ground Water Festival Pike County Extension System 2005 Public Educators’ Watershed Workshops Wiregrass RC&D Council 2005 Barbour and Bullock Counties Ground Water Festival Clayton Water and Sewer Board 2005 Geneva County Ground Water Festival Geneva County Extension System 2005 Coffee County Ground Water Festival Coffee County S&WCD 2005 Crenshaw County Ground Water Festival S. Crenshaw County. Water Authority 2005 Dale County Ground Water Festival Utilities Board of City of Ozark 2005 Agplex Arena Erosion Control Project Dale County Agplex Authority 2005 Unpaved Road/Stream Crossing Inventory for SE Alabama Wiregrass RC&D Council and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 2005 Study for Direct Withdrawal for Water Supply U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2006 Interior Flood Storage Basin at Elba Levee U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2006 Houston County Ground Water Festival Houston Cty. Extension System 2006 Easterling Mill Pond Slope Protection Project Barbour County Commission 2006 Enterprise Park Ave. Streambank Stabilization – Phase II City of Enterprise, Alabama 2006 Bio-retention System Demonstration Project Lurleen Wallace Community College, Opp, Alabama 2006 Ariton Wastewater Lagoon Erosion Control Project Ariton Water and Sewer Board 2006 Matthews Stadium Erosion Control Project Ozark Board of Education 2006 East Gate Complex Erosion Control Project City of Ozark, Alabama 2006 Double Surface Treatment on Dirt Roads near Streams Geneva County Commission 2006 Public Educators’ Watershed Workshops Wiregrass RC&D Council 2006 Barbour and Bullock Counties Ground Water Festival Clayton Water and Sewer Board 2006 Pike County Ground Water Festival Pike County Extension Service

Year Project Name Co-Sponsor 2006 Geneva County Ground Water Festival Geneva County Extension Service 2006 Dale County Ground Water Festival Dale County Water Authority 2006 Coffee County Ground Water Festival Coffee County Extension Service 2006 Covington County Ground Water Festival Covington County S&WCD 2006 Crenshaw County Ground Water Festival S. Crenshaw County. Water Authority 2006 Ground Water Monitoring Well for Drought Data Collection U.S. Geological Survey in Covington County 2006 Water Quality Monitoring of the Choctawhatchee and Pea Geological Survey of Alabama Rivers in Southeast Alabama 2007 Elba Major Levee Rehabilitation Project U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2007 Dale County Public Water Supply Interconnection Study Utilities Board of City of Ozark 2007 Waterless Toilet (Eloo) Demonstration Project for Wetlands City of Florala Utilities Board Park at Florala 2007 Barbour County Rd. 27 Ditch Stabilization Barbour County Commission 2007 Lake Frank Jackson Erosion Control Project Covington County Commission 2007 Pike County Rd. 6622 Ditch Stabilization Pike County Commission 2007 Double Surface Treatment on Dirt Roads near Streams Geneva County Commission 2007 Public Educators’ Watershed Workshops Wiregrass RC&D Council 2007 Barbour and Bullock Counties Ground Water Festival Clayton Water and Sewer Board 2007 Enterprise Park Ave. Streambank Stabilization – Phase III City of Enterprise, AL 2007 Stricklin Road Drainage/Elevation Project Crenshaw County Commission 2007 Algae as a Biodiesel Feedstock: A Feasibility Assessment Auburn University 2007 Crenshaw County Ground Water Festival S. Crenshaw County. Water Authority 2007 Covington County Ground Water Festival Covington County S&WCD 2007 Geneva County Ground Water Festival Geneva County Extension Service 2007 Coffee County Ground Water Festival Coffee County Extension System 2008 Dale County Ground Water Festival Utilities Board of City of Ozark 2008 Geneva Major Levee Rehabilitation Project U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2008 Covington County Ground Water Festival Covington County S&WCD 2008 Crenshaw County Ground Water Festival S. Crenshaw County. Water Authority

Year Project Name Co-Sponsor 2008 Coffee County Ground Water Festival Coffee County Extension Service 2008 Barbour and Bullock Counties Ground Water Festival Clayton Water and Sewer Board 2008 Barbour County Rd. 8 Ditch Stabilization Project Barbour County Commission 2008 Five Runs Creek Bridge Erosion Control Project Covington County Commission 2008 Crenshaw Old Three Notch Rd. Erosion Control Project Crenshaw County Commission 2008 Double Surface Treatment on Dirt Roads near Streams Geneva County Commission 2008 Pike County Unpaved Road Ditch stabilization Pike County Commission 2008 Streambank Stabilization on Martin Luther King Drive City of Troy, Alabama 2008 Public Educators’ Watershed Workshops Wiregrass RC&D Council 2008 Geneva County Ground Water Festival Geneva County Extension Service 2008 Pike County Ground Water Festival Pike County Extension Service 2008 Environmental Permitting Services for Regional Reservoir Tetra Tech, Inc. 2008 A Summary of Hydrogeologic Studies and Evaluation of Geological Survey of Alabama Regional Water Data Needs for Southeast Alabama 2009 Educational Newspaper Inserts for the Choctawhatchee, Wiregrass RC&D Council Pea and Yellow River Water Basins 2009 Pike County Ground Water Festival Pike County Extension Service 2009 Barbour and Bullock Counties Ground Water Festival Clayton Water and Sewer Board 2009 Coffee County Ground Water Festival Coffee County S&WCD 2009 Monitoring and Analyses of Water Quality and Biological Geological Survey of Alabama Resources Required for an Application for a Clean Water Act Section 401 Water Quality Certification for the Little Choctawhatchee River Watershed in Southeast Alabama 2009 Public Educators’ Watershed Workshops Wiregrass RC&D Council 2009 Enterprise Park Ave. Streambank Stabilization – Phase IV City of Enterprise, Alabama 2009 Barbour County Dirt Road Ditch Stabilization Project Barbour County Commission 2009 Pike County Unpaved Road Ditch Stabilization Project Pike County Commission 2009 Lightwood Knot Creek Watershed Ditch Erosion Covington County Commission 2009 Florala Wetlands Park Expansion at Lake Jackson City of Florala, Alabama 2009 Covington County Ground Water Festival Covington County S&WCD 2009 Crenshaw County Ground Water Festival S. Crenshaw County. Water Authority 2009 Geneva County Ground Water Festival Geneva County Extension System 2009 Houston County Ground Water Festival Houston County Extension System

Year Project Name Co-Sponsor 2009 Henry County Ground Water Festival Henry County Extension System 2010 Flood Warning System Gage on Claybank Creek City of Ozark, Alabama 2010 Dale County Ground Water Festival Dale County Extension System 2010 Covington County Ground Water Festival Covington County S&WCD 2010 Houston County Ground Water Festival Houston County Extension System 2010 Pike County Ground Water Festival Pike County Extension System 2010 Crenshaw County Ground Water Festival S. Crenshaw County Water Authority 2010 Henry County Ground Water Festival Henry County Extension System 2010 Lury Walker Road Ditch Stabilization Project Barbour County Commission 2010 Town of Clayton Walking Trail Stabilization Project Town of Clayton, Alabama 2010 Lake Jackson Drainage Ditch Project City of Florala, Alabama 2010 Harrand Creek Drainage and Streambank Stabilization City of Enterprise, Alabama 2010 Geneva Natural Wetlands Educational Observatory City of Geneva, Alabama 2010 Double Surface Treatment on Dirt Roads near Streams Geneva County Commission 2010 Samson’s South Broad Street Drainage and Flood Control City of Samson, Alabama 2010 Samson’s North Johnson Street Flood Control City of Samson, Alabama 2010 Pike County Unpaved Rd. 4405 Drainage Stabilization Pike County Commission 2010 Barbour and Bullock Counties Ground Water Festival Clayton Water and Sewer Board 2010 Outdoor Warning Siren – Enterprise High School Coffee County EMA 2011 Dale County Ground Water Festival Dale County Extension System 2011 Henry County Ground Water Festival Henry County Extension System 2011 Barbour County Ground Water Festival Clayton Water and Sewer Board 2011 Bullock County Ground Water Festival Bullock County Extension Service 2011 Enterprise Well Site Geology Study City of Enterprise, Alabama and Geological Survey of Alabama 2011 Lury Walker Rd. and Bear Creek Stabilization Project Barbour County Commission 2011 Dewey Ivey Rd. and Judy Creek Stabilization Project Barbour County Commission 2011 Harrand Creek Stabilization Project City of Enterprise, Alabama 2011 Union Grove and Cauley Road Erosion Control Covington County Commission 2011 Lake Jackson Ditch Stabilization Project City of Florala, Alabama 2011 Morgan Mill Rd. Bridge Approach Stabilization Crenshaw County Commission 2011 Erosion Repair on Hurricane Creek at Mixon Road City of Ozark, Alabama 2011 County Road Drop Structure Rehabilitation Dale County Commission

Year Project Name Co-Sponsor 2011 Double Surface Treatment on Dirt Roads near Streams Geneva County Commission 2011 Slocomb Middle School Outdoor Classroom Geneva Board of Education 2011 Ewing Street Drainage and Flood Control City of Samson, Alabama 2011 Dewberry Road Ditch Stabilization Project Houston County Commission 2011 Unpaved Road Ditch Stabilization Project Pike County Commission 2011 Invasive Species Management and Habitat Restoration Troy University 2011 Crenshaw County Ground Water Festival S. Crenshaw County Water Authority 2011 Comprehensive Watershed Management Plan Geological Survey of Alabama 2012 Houston County Flood Warning System Rain/River Gage CPYRWMA 2012 City of Enterprise Flood Warning System Rain Gage CPYRWMA 2012 Comprehensive Watershed Management Plan Geological Survey of Alabama 2012 Watershed Mgmt. Authority Informational Brochure Geological Survey of Alabama 2012 Pike County Ground Water Festival Troy University 2012 Henry County Ground Water Festival Henry County Extension Service 2013 Pike County Groundwater Festival Troy University 2013 Henry County Groundwater Festival Henry County Extension Service 2013 Bullock County Groundwater Festival Bullock County Extension Service 2013 Coffee County Groundwater Festival Soil & Water Conservation Dist. 2013 Stormwater Wetlands and Ecological Trail System Troy University 2013 Slope Failure Repair on County Road Pike County Commission 2013 Rip Rap Ditch Flume Coffee County Commission 2013 Ditch Stabilization Barbour County Commission 2013 Ditch Erosion Repair City of Florala, Alabama 2013 Ditch Stabilization Houston County Commission 2013 Groundwater Monitoring System Geological Survey of Alabama 2014 Channel Stabilization at Culvert on Bear Creek City of Ozark, Alabama 2014 Ditch Flume on County Road 430 Coffee County Commission 2014 Stabilization of Givens Bridge Access Road Covington County Commission 2014 Water Leak Detection Survey Alabama Rural Water Association 2014 Ecological Trail System – Phase I Troy University 2014 Gully Stabilization Barbour County Commission 2014 Soil Tunnel Trailer Pike County S&WCD 2014 Groundwater Festival Coffee County S&WCD

Year Project Name Co-Sponsor 2014 Groundwater Festival Dale County S&WCD 2014 Groundwater Festival Pike-Troy University 2014 Groundwater Festival Bullock County Extension Service 2014 Groundwater Festival Henry County Extension Service 2014 Low-Flow Study at Continuous Record Gaging Stations U.S. Geological Survey 2015 Invasive Species Management Project Troy University 2015 Groundwater Festival Bullock County 2015 Groundwater Festival Pike County 2015 Groundwater Festival Henry County 2015 Groundwater Festival Dale County 2015 Low-Flow Study at Continuous Record Gaging Stations U.S. Geological Survey 2015 Rain/River Level Flood Warning System Gage City of Daleville 2016 Low-Flow Study at Continuous Record Gaging Stations U.S. Geological Survey 2016 Ecological Trail System Troy University 2016 Surface Water Quality Monitoring Geological Survey of Alabama 2016 Drought Monitoring Wells Geological Survey of Alabama 2016 Add River Levels in Percentiles to FWS Website Geological Survey of Alabama 2016 Rating Flood Warning System Stream Gages Geological Survey of Alabama 2016 Groundwater Festival Henry County 2016 Groundwater Festival Pike County 2017 Outdoor Warning Siren for Basin Community Coffee County EMA 2017 Invasive Species Management Troy University 2017 Low-Flow Phase II Study U.S. Geological Survey 2017 Groundwater Monitoring Wells for Droughts Geological Survey of Alabama 2017 Surface Water Quality Monitoring for Water Entering Florida Geological Survey of Alabama 2017 CPYRWMA Brochure Update Geological Survey of Alabama 2017 Groundwater Festival Bullock County

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA 420 Hackberry Lane P.O. Box 869999 Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35486-6999 205/349-2852

Berry H. (Nick) Tew, Jr., State Geologist

A list of the printed publications by the Geological Survey of Alabama can be obtained from the Publications Office (205/247-3636) or through our web site at http://www.gsa.state.al.us.

E-mail: [email protected]

The Geological Survey of Alabama (GSA) makes every effort to collect, provide, and maintain accurate and complete information. However, data acquisition and research are ongoing activities of GSA, and interpretations may be revised as new data are acquired. Therefore, all information made available to the public by GSA should be viewed in that context. Neither the GSA nor any employee thereof makes any warranty, expressed or implied, or assumes any legal responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed in this report. Conclusions drawn or actions taken on the basis of these data and information are the sole responsibility of the user.

As a recipient of Federal financial assistance from the U.S. Department of the Interior, the GSA prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, or disability in its programs or activities. Discrimination on the basis of sex is prohibited in federally assisted GSA education programs. If anyone believes that he or she has been discriminated against in any of the GSA’s programs or activities, including its employment practices, the individual may contact the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C. 20240.

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Serving Alabama since 1848