Dog River Watershed Management Plan December 2000 Coastal Programs Department of Conservation and Natural Resources State of Alabama Don Siegelman, Governor Dog River Watershed Management Plan Prepared for the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources by Jody A. Scanlan, Agriculture Program Assistant I, and Richard K. Wallace, Extension Marine Specialist Auburn University Marine Extension and Research Center Funding for this plan was provided in part by the Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, Grant Award No. NA070Z0152. Development of this plan is partly a result of research sponsored by the Mississippi- Alabama Sea Grant Consortium and NOAA, Office of Sea Grant, Department of Commerce under Grant Award No. NA86RG0039. Dog River Watershed Management Plan Dog River Watershed Management Plan December 2000 3 Dog River Watershed Management Plan Acknowledgements This plan would not have been made possible without the support and efforts of many, including the Dog River Watershed Steering Committee, listed below, who devoted their time and efforts to improve the water quality of the Dog River Watershed. Cherie Arceneaux April Griffin Dauphin Island Sea Lab Mobile County Soil and Water Conservation District Tim Ashland City of Mobile Holly Hall Mobile Bay National Estuary Program Cathy Barnette Alabama Department of Economic and Phillip Hinesly Community Affairs Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Walter Bower Dan Lessley Les Brown Mobile Area Water and Sewer Service Grant Mattox Natural Resources Conservation Service Jim Buckalew U.S. Army Corps of Engineers David Roberts City of Mobile Casi Callaway Mobile Bay Watch Randy Shaneyfelt Alabama Department of Environmental Howard Danely Management U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Julie Shiyou-Woodard David Drickoll South Alabama Regional Planning Mobile County Soil and Water Commission Conservation District Emily Sommer Dr. Miriam Fearn grassroots, inc Dog River Clearwater Revival Sharon Yahnke Dr. Tom Fink Alabama School of Math and Science 4 Contents Table of Tables Table of Figures Executive Summary I. Introduction.................................................................................................................................. 11 A. Previous Studies.. ............................................................................................................... .....11 B. Purpose & Goals. ............................................................................................................... ......14 II. General Description of the Watershed................................................................................. .....18 A. Physical Setting.................................................................................................................... ....18 B. Climate.... .............................................................................................................................. ...20 C. Geology/Soils..................................................................................................................... .......20 D. Historical Significance.. ........................................................................................................ .....24 E. Population and Land Use. .................................................................................................. ......24 F. Economic Development.... .................................................................................................... ...31 G. Environmental Resources... .................................................................................................. ....31 Living Resources....... ........................................................................................................... 31 Endangered and Threatened Species..... ............................................................................ ..34 Sediment Quality.. ........................................................................................................... .....35 Water Quality... ................................................................................................................ ....35 III. General Description of Sub-basins ..... .................................................................................. ..36 Eslava Creek.... ................................................................................................................. ...36 Bolton Branch.... ................................................................................................................ ...39 Robinson Bayou.. ............................................................................................................. .....39 Moore Creek..... ................................................................................................................... ..40 Montlimar Canal.. ............................................................................................................ .....41 Halls Mill Creek.... ............................................................................................................. ...41 Rabbit Creek-Rattlesnake Bayou ................................................................................... .......42 Alligator Bayou. .............................................................................................................. ......42 IV. Problem Identification, Project Goals, and Solutions.. ..................................................... .....42 V. Future Needs............................................................................................................................ ..57 VI. Conclusion.............................................................................................................................. ....58 References Appendices Tables Table 1. Table of Acronyms....... ....................................................................................................... 10 Table 2. Alabama Water Use Classifications and Standards.. ....................................................... .....13 Table 3. Named Tributaries and Their Water Use Classifications. .............................................. ......15 Table 4. Components of Population Change in The Dog River Watershed: 1994-2000.. ............ .....25 Table 5. Dog River Watershed Land Use... ................................................................................... ....28 Figures Figure 1. Location of the Dog River Watershed in Mobile County, Alabama....... ........................... 19 Figure 2. Digital Elevation Map................................................................................................... .....21 Figure 3. Ecoregions of the Dog River Watershed. .................................................................... ......22 Figure 4. Geology of Alabama.. ................................................................................................... .....23 Figure 5. Land Development Within the Dog River Watershed.................................................... ....26 Figure 6. Land Use in the Dog River Watershed.... ....................................................................... ...29 Figure 7. Land Use Map of the Dog River Watershed............................................................... .......30 Figure 8. Hazardous and Solid Waste Sites.. ............................................................................... .....32 Figure 9. Classified Shellfish Areas ............................................................................................ ......33 Figure 10. Alabama Water Watch Volunteer Water Monitoring Sites............................................ ...37 Figure 11. Subbasins of the Dog River Watershed........................................................................ ....38 Figure 12. Adopted Stream Crossings....... ....................................................................................... 50 Dog River Watershed Management Plan Executive Summary The Alabama Department of Environmental Management conducted the initial comprehensive studies of the Dog River Watershed in 1993-94. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed a Reconnaissance Study of the Watershed in 1997, which recommended management strategies, and began a 5-year scoping project in 1999. Also in 1997, the South Alabama Regional Planning Commission conducted initial stakeholder meetings to discuss management alternatives. In 1998, the Auburn University Marine Extension and Research Center was granted the task of developing a Dog River Watershed Management Plan, whose purpose is to reduce flooding and improve water quality in the Watershed while also serving as a model for action in other coastal watersheds. Stakeholders in a 1999 meeting developed ten goals for the plan. A steering committee met over the following twelve months to develop action strategies. The Dog River Watershed drains more than 90 square miles (61003.13 acres) within the City of Mobile and Mobile County, Alabama, and flows into the northwestern portion of Mobile Bay. The Dog River is a tidally influenced system that is 8 miles long, and receives drainage from 6 subbasins (Eslava Creek, Robinson Bayou, Moore Creek, Halls Mill Creek, Rabbit Creek, and Rattlesnake Bayou) and three other major tributaries (Montlimar Canal, Bolton Branch, and Alligator Bayou). The climate is subtropical, and the average annual rainfall for Mobile County is 64 inches.