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Chemical Character of Surface Waters of Georgia

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Chemical Character of Surface Waters of Georgia SliEU' :\0..... / ........ RO O ~ l NO. ···- ··-<~ ......... U )'On no l~er need this publication write to the Geological Sur»ey in Washlndon for ali official maillne label to use In returning it UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR CHEMICAL CHARACTER OF SURFACE WATERS OF GEORGIA Prepared In cooperation wilh the DIVISION OF MINES, MINING, AND GEOLOGY OF 'l'HE GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 889- E ' UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Harold L. Ickes, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY W. E. Wrather, Director Water-Supply Paper 889-E CHEMICAL CHARACTER OF SURFACE WATERS OF GEORGIA BY WILLIAM L. LAMAR Prepared in cooperation with the DIVISION OF MINES, MINING, AND GEOLOGY OF THE GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES Contributions to the Hydrology of the United States, 19~1-!3 (Pages 317- 380) UN ITED STATES GOVEHNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON : 1944 For sct le Ly Ll w S upcrinkntlent of Doc uments, U. S. Gover nme nt Printing Office, " ' asbingtou 25, D . C. Price 15 ce nl~ CONTENTS Page- Abstract ___________________________________________ -----_--------- 31 T Introduction __________________ c ________________________________ -- _ 317 Physiography_____________________________________________________ 318 Climate__________________________________________________________ 820 Collection and examination of samples_______________________________ 323 Stream flow __________________________ --------- ___________ c ________ . 324 Rainfall and discharge during sampling years_____________________ 324 Water temperature________________________________________________ 325 Composition of surface waters_______________________________________ 335 Mineral constituents in solution_________________________________ 335 Hardness _______________________________________ ~_____________ 339 Color________________________________________________________ 339 Oxygen consumed_____________________________________________ 340 Suspendedmatter _______________ c_____________________________ 341 Altamaha River___________________________________________________ 342 Chattahoochee River-----------------------~----------------------- 343 Etowah River_____________________________________________________ 344 Ocmulgee River-----------------------------------------------c--- 344 Oconee River_____________________________________________________ 345 Ogeechee River_____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 345 Satilla River______________________________________________________ 346 Savannah River___________________________________________________ 347 Analyses_________________________________________________________ 348 Index____________________________________________________________ 376 ILLUSTRATIONS FIGURE 16. Temperature -of water of Altamaha River at Doctortown, Ga., 1937-38_____________________________________________ 326 17. Temperature of water of Chattahoochee River near Vinings, 1937-38--------------------------------------------- 327 18. Temperature of water of Chattahoochee River at Columbus, 1940--41_____________________________________________ 328 19. Temperature of water of Chattahoochee River near Hilton, 1940--41_____________________________________________ 329 20. Temperature of water of Etowah River near Cartersville, 1938-39_____________________________________________ 330 21. Temperature of water of Ocmulgee River at Macon, 1937-38_ 331 22. Temperature of water of Ogeechee River near Eden, 1937-38_ 332 23. Temperature of water of Satilla River near Waycross, 1937-38_ 333 24. Temperature of water of Savannah River near Clyo, 1938-39_ 334 25. Analyses showing minimum and maximum mineral content of waters of Altamaha, Chattahoochee, and Etowah River_s___ 337 26. Analyses showing minimum and maximum mineral content of waters of Ocmulgee, Oconee, Ogeechee, Satilla, and Savannah Rivers ________________ ------------------------------ 338 In IV COl\"TEiKTS TABLES Pag<! TABLE 1. Air temperature (°F.) in Georgia, 1937-41__________________ 321 2. Precipitation (inches) in Georgia, 1937-4L_________________ 322 3. Temperature (°F.) of water of Altamaha River at Doctor- town, 1937-38---------------------------------------- 326 4. Temperature (°F.) of water of Chattahoochee River near Vinings, 1937-38_ __ __ ___ ___ __ __ __ _ _ _ _ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ _ 327 5. Temperature (°F.) of water of Chattahoochee River at Co- lumbus, 1940--41_ __ _ __ ___ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ __ _ _ __ __ _ _ __ __ _ 328 6. Temperature· (°F.) of water of Chattahoochee River near Hil- ton, 1940--41__________________________________________ 329 7 Temperature (°F.) of water of Etowah River near Cartersville, 1938-39______________________________________________ 330 8. Temperature (°F.) of water of Ocmulgee River at Macon, 1937-38______________________________________________ 331 9. Temperature (°F.) of water of Ogeechee River near Eden, 1937-38---------------------------------------------- 332 10. Temperature (°F.) of water of Satilla River near Waycross, 1937-38 __________ J___________________________________ 333 11. Temperature (°F.) of water of Savannah River near Clyo, 1938-39______________________________________________ 334 12. Analyses of water from the Altamaha River at Doctortown, 1937-38______________________________________________ 352 13. Analyses of water from the Chattahoochee River near Vinings, 1937-38______________________________________________ 354 14. Analyses of water from the Chattahoochee River at Columbus, 1940--41______________________________________________ 356 15. Analyses of water from the Chattahoochee River near Hilton, 1940--41______________________________________________ 358 16. Analyses of water from the Etowah River near Cartersville, 1938-39---------------------------------------------- 360 17. Analyses of waterfrom the Ocmulgee River at' Macon, 1937-38_ 362 18. Analyses of water from the Oconee River at Milledgeville, 1937-38---------------------------------------------- 364 19. Analyses of water from the Ogeechee River near Eden, 1937-38_ 366 20. Analyses of water from, the Satilla River near Waycross, 1937-38______________________________________________ 368 21. Analyses of water from the Savannah River near Clyo 1938-39_ 370 22. Analyses of surface waters of Georgia______________________ 372 CHEMICAL CHARACTER OF SU:JtFACE WATERS OF GEORGIA By WILLIAM L. LAMAR 318 OOiNIT'RIIBU:TroNS '.00 HY'D·ROIJOGY OF lJIN[TE:D S'IWI'ES, 1941"'-43 mation,on the character of surface waters is usef~ in connection with the distribution of many commodities; the location of industrial plants; the selection of sources for public or industrial supplies and .the plan.:. ning for their treatment. · Studies of dischar~e and of quality of water of streams are so inti­ mately related that a study of one without the other is inadequate for many purposes. It is true, also, that for some streams a single analysis may be about as misleading as a single discharge measurement. For many of the streams in Georgia the most profitable study of the chemical character of the water can be made by an analysis of three composites of daily samples each month for a year. When compre:­ hensive data concerning the quality of water are made available for selected streams, the analyses may be valuable in the study of other streams where conditions are similar. ' The results of analyses of composite samples covering a year for 10 stations on rivers in Georgia are given in tables 12 to 21 (pp. 352-371). Each of these tables gives 36 complete analyses and includes arith­ metical and weighted averages for the year. Table 22 (pp. 372-377) includes the analyses of 90 spot samples <;ollected at gaging stations or at other points on streams and also the arithmetical averages for the 10 stations indicated above. A total of 470 complete analyses is given in this report. The daily temperature of the water is reported for 9 of the 10 stations indicated above, as information concerning it is of value to industry, particularly in connection with the use of water for cooling purposes. · ' ' This investigation was made possible through the cooperation of Capt. Garland Peyton, Director of the Georgia Division of Mines, Mining, and Geology. The bulk of the analyses were made by A. T. Ness and C. G: Seegmiller, of the Quality of Water Division of the Geological Survey. The other analyses were made by W. L. Lamar except for a few that were made by other members of the division. PHYSIOGRAPHY The physical features 1 that characterize different parts of Georgia may be classified according to their distinctive ·topographic and geologic nature. The State lies in two major physiographic divisions, the AppalachianHighlands and the Atlantic Plain. The Appalachian Highlands are north and the Atlantic Plain south of an irregular line passing through the cities of Augusta, Macon, and Columbus. The Appalachian Highlands make up about two-fifths of the total area of the State and include the Piedmont, the Blue Ridge, and the • Fenneman, N. M., Physio!!l'aphy of eastem·Unlted States, 1st ed., McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1938; Physical divisions of the United States (map), 1930. LaForge, Laurence, Cooke, Wythe, Keith, Arthur, Campbell, M. R., and McCallie, S. W., Phys!ce.l geography of Georgia: Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 42, 1925. CHEMICAL CHARACTER OF SURFACE WATERS OF gEORGIA 319,. 'Valley and Ridge provinces, and the edge of the Cumberland Plateau section of the Appalachian Plateaus province in the northwest corner of the
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