Floods of 1951 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 1227 UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1957 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR FRED A. SEATON, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Thomas B. Nolan, Director CONTENTS [The letters in parentheses preceding the titles are those used to designate the separate chapters} Page (A) Floods of March-April 1951 in Alabama and adjacent States ____ 1 (B) Floods of May 1951 in western Oklahoma and northwestern Texas 135 (C) Floods of 1950-51 in the Catskill Mountain region, New York... 201 (D) Summary of floods in the United States during 1951 279 I m Floods of March- April 1951 in Alabama and Adjacent States Prepared by WATER RESOURCES DIVISION Floods of 1951 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 1227-A A presentation of data on floods in Ala­ bama, Georgia, Mississippi, and Ten­ nessee, collected in cooperation with State and Federal agencies. UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1953 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Douglas McKay, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY W. E. Wrather, Director For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office Washington 25, D. C. - Price 55 cents PREFACE This report on the floods of March-April 1951 in Alabama and adjacent States was prepared by the Geological Survey, Water Resources Division, under the general direction of C. G. Paulsen, chief hydrau­ lic engineer, and J. V. B. Wells, chief, Surface Water Branch. The data presented in this report were collected and compiled under the supervision of the district engineers, Surface Water Branch, as follows: Alabama ........ M. R. Williams Georgia ......... M. T. Thomson Mississippi .....I. E. Anderson Tennessee. ...... W. R. Eaton The Montgomery, Ala., district office was respon­ sible for the general planning and assembling of the report, and coordination of the work among the dis­ tricts participating. Financial cooperation in connection with the river- measurement program of the Geological Survey in the area covered by this report was received from the following State agencies: in Alabama, the Ala - bama Geological Survey; in Georgia, the Georgia De­ partment of Mines, Mining, and Geology; in Missis­ sippi, the Mississippi Geological Su rvey; and in Tennessee, the Tennessee Department of Conser- vation. Federal agencies to whom acknowledgements are made for financial assistance, services rendered, or data furnished are the Corps of Engineers and the Tennessee Valley Authority. Financial assistance was rendered by the Alabama Highway Department and the Georgia Highway Depart­ ment. The Alabama Power Company furnished rec­ ords for four stations. CONTENTS Page Introduction. ............................................................... 1 General features of the storm and floods ...................................... 1 Meteorology, by C. W. Cochrane, U. S. Weather Bureau .................... 1 Precipitation............................................................ 4 Runoff.................................................................. 4 Flood damage ............................................................ 8 Stages and discharges at stream-gaging stations ............................... 13 Explanation of data....................................................... 13 Mobile River basin. ...................................................... 16 Cartecay River (head of Mobile River) near Ellijay, Ga. .................. 16 Coosawattee River (continuation of Cartecay River) at Pine Chapel, Ga. .... 17 Conasauga River at Tilton, Ga. ...................................... 18 Oostanaula River (continuation of Coosawattee River) at Resaca, Ga. ....... 19 Oostanaula River near Rome, Ga. ...................................... 20 Etowah River at Rome, Ga. ......................................... 21 Coosa River (continuation of Oostanaula River) near Rome, Ga. ........... 22 Cedar Creek near Cedartown, Ga. ................................... 23 Chattooga River at Summerville, Ga. ................................ 24 Chattooga River at Gaylesville, Ala. ................................ 25 Coosa River at Leesburg, Ala. ......................................... 26 Terrapin Creek near Piedmont, Ala. ................................ 27 Coosa River at Gadsden, Ala ........................................... 28 Big Wills Creek near Crudup, Ala. .................................. 29 Big Canoe Creek near Gadsden, Ala. ................................ 30 Choccolocco Creek near Jenifer, Ala. ............................... 31 Choccolocco Creek near Lincoln, Ala. ............................... 32 Coosa River near Cropwell, Ala. ..................................... 33 Talladega Creek at Alpine, Ala...................................... 34 Coosa River at Childersburg, Ala. ..................................... 35 Yellowleaf Creek near Wilsonville, Ala. .............................. 36 Hatchet Creek near Rockford, Ala.................................... 37 Weogufka Creek near Weogufka, Ala. .............................. 38 Coosa River at Jordan Dam, near Wetumpka, Ala. ....................... 39 Tallapoosa River below Tallassee, Ala. .............................. 40 Alabama River ( continuation of Coosa River) near Montgomery, Ala. ..... 41 Autauga Creek at Prattville, Ala. .................................... 42 Big Swamp Creek near Lowndesboro, Ala. ............................ 43 Mulberry River at Jones, Ala. ...................................... 44 Alabama River at Selma, Ala. ......................................... 45 Cahaba River near Acton, Ala. ...................................... 46 Cahaba River at Centerville, Ala. ................................... 47 Cahaba River at Sprott, Ala. ........................................ 48 Cahaba River near Marion Junction, Ala. ............................. 49 Boguechitto Creek near Browns, Ala. ................................ 50 Alabama River near Millers Ferry, Ala. ................................ 51 Alabama River at Claiborne, Ala. ...................................... 52 East Fork Tombigbee River (head of Tombigbee River): Mackys Creek near Dennis, Miss. ................................ 53 East Fork Tombigbee River near Marietta, Miss. .................... 54 East Fork Tombigbee River near Fulton, Miss. ....................... 55 Bull Mountain Creek near Smithville, Miss. ........................ 56 West Fork Tombigbee River near Nettleton, Miss. ................. 57 Tombigbee River near Amory, Miss. ................................ 58 Tombigbee River at Aberdeen, Miss. ................................ 59 Buttahatchee River below Hamilton, Ala. ......................... 60 Buttahatchee River near Sulligent, Ala. ............................ 61 Buttahatchee River near Caledonia, Miss. ......................... 62 TibbeeCreek: Chookatonchee Creek near West Point, Miss. .................... 63 TibbeeCreek near Tibbee, Miss. ................................ 64 Tombigbee River at Columbus, Miss. ................................ 65 Luxapalila Creek near Fayette, Ala. .............................. 66 Luxapalila Creek at Steens, Miss. ................................ 67 Tombigbee River near Cochrane, Ala. ............................... 68 V VI CONTENTS Page Stages and discharges at stream-gaging stations- -Continued^ Mobile River basin--Continued Alabama River--Continued Tombigbee River--Continued Sipsey River near Fayette, Ala. ..................................... 69 Sipsey River at Moores Bridge, Ala. ................................ 70 Sipsey River near Elrod, Ala........................................ 71 Sipsey River near Pleasant Ridge, Ala. .............................. 72 Noxubee River near Brooksville, Miss. ............................... 73 Noxubee River at Macon, Miss. .................................... 74 Noxubee River near Geiger, Ala. .................................... 75 Tombigbee River at Gainesville, Ala. .................................. 76 Mulberry Fork (head of Black Warrior River) near Garden City, Ala. ... 77 Sipsey Fork near Falls City, Ala. ................................ 78 Clear Creek at Falls City, Ala. ............................... 79 Blackwater Creek near Manchester, Ala. .......................... 80 Locust Fork near Cleveland, Ala. ................................ 81 Locust Fork at Trafford, Ala. ................................... 82 Turkey Creek at Morris, Ala. ................................. 83 Locust Fork at Sayre, Ala. ...................................... 84 Yellow Creek near Tuscaloosa, Ala. .............................. 85 Black Warrior River: North River near Samantha, Ala. ................................. 86 Black Warrior River at Tuscaloosa, Ala. ............................. 87 Black Warrior River near Eutaw, Ala. .............................. 88 Prairie Creek near Gallion, Ala. ................................. 89 Tombigbee River near Coatopa, Ala. .................................. 90 Sucarnoochee River at Livings ton, Ala. .............................. 91 Tombigbee River near Leroy, Ala. .................................... 92 Tennessee River basin ..................................................... 93 Tennessee River: Hiwassee River: Toccoa River near Dial, Ga. ...................................... 93 Blue Ridge Reservoir ............................................. 94 Toccoa River near Blue Ridge, Ga. ................................ 95 Ocoee River (continuation of Toccoa River) at Copperhill, Tenn. ...... 96 Fightingtown Creek at