Water-Level Decline in the Apalachicola River, Florida, from 1954 to 2004, and Effects on Floodplain Habitats By Helen M. Light1, Kirk R. Vincent2, Melanie R. Darst1, and Franklin D. Price3 1 U.S. Geological Survey, 2010 Levy Avenue, Tallahassee, Florida 32310. 2 U.S. Geological Survey, 3215 Marine , E-127, Boulder, Colorado 80303. 3 Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 350 Carroll Street, Eastpoint, Florida 32328. Prepared in cooperation with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Northwest Florida Water Management District Florida Department of Environmental Protection U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Scientific Investigations Report 2006-5173 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Department of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne, Secretary U.S. Geological Survey P. Patrick Leahy, Acting Director U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2006 For product and ordering information: World Wide Web: http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS For more information on the USGS--the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment: World Wide Web: http://www.usgs.gov Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Although this report is in the public domain, permission must be secured from the individual copyright owners to reproduce any copyrighted materials contained within this report. Suggested citation: Light, H.M., Vincent, K.R., Darst, M.R., and Price, F.D., 2006, Water-Level Decline in the Apalachicola River, Florida, from 1954 to 2004, and Effects on Floodplain Habitats: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2006-5173, 83 p., plus CD. iii Contents Glossary ............................................................................................................................................................ vii Abstract .............................................................................................................................................................. 1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................... 2 Purpose and Scope ............................................................................................................................ 6 Acknowledgments .............................................................................................................................. 6 Setting ................................................................................................................................................... 7 Methods ............................................................................................................................................................. 8 Description of Basic Data ...................................................................................................................... 8 Stage-Discharge Relations at Streamgages ...................................................................................... 9 Selection of Pre-dam and Recent Periods ............................................................................10 Pre-Dam, Recent, and Period-of-Record Stage-Discharge Relations .............................13 Interpolated Stage-Discharge Relations Between Streamgages ............................................... 18 Water-Level Decline and Floodplain Effects .................................................................................... 22 Approximate Decrease in Duration of Inundation Caused by Channel Change .............22 Changes in Seasonal Distribution of Discharge ...................................................................26 Results and Discussion ................................................................................................................................. 29 Magnitude and Extent of Water-Level Decline ................................................................................ 29 Effects of Water-Level Decline on Floodplain Habitats .................................................................. 31 Specific Examples of Habitat Alteration ................................................................................33 Access to Cool-Water Refuges for Striped Bass ........................................................34 Persistence of Flowing-Water Habitat for Listed Mussels ........................................35 Duration of Inundation in Tupelo-Cypress Swamps....................................................38 Effects on Floodplain Habitats: An Overview ........................................................................39 Long-Term Changes in Monthly Discharge ..................................................................41 Future Trends and Potential for Restoration ................................................................45 Research Needs .................................................................................................................................... 47 Summary and Conclusions ........................................................................................................................... 48 References....................................................................................................................................................... 49 Appendixes I. Stage-discharge relations at the Chattahoochee streamgage in the Apalachicola River, Florida .................................................................................................54-59 II. Stage at the Blountstown streamgage in relation to discharge at the Chattahoochee streamgage in the Apalachicola River, Florida ...................................60-63 III. Stage at the Wewahitchka streamgage in relation to discharge at the Chattahoochee streamgage in the Apalachicola River, Florida ...................................64-67 IV. Stage at the RM 35 streamgage in relation to discharge at the Chattahoochee streamgage in the Apalachicola River, Florida ................................................................68-71 V. Stage at the Sumatra streamgage in relation to discharge at the Chattahoochee streamgage in the Apalachicola River, Florida ................................................................72-75 VI. Formulas defining stage-discharge relations developed from long-term streamgage data on the Apalachicola River, Florida ............................................................77 iv VII. Formulas used to interpolate stage between streamgages in relation to discharge at the Chattahoochee streamgage in the Apalachicola River, Florida .....................................................................................................................................78-79 VIII. Description of attached digital files of stage-discharge relations at all streamgages and between-gage sites on the Apalachicola River, Florida ......................80 IX. Water-level decline, at various discharges, that occurred at streamgages and within reaches along the nontidal Apalachicola River, Florida, as a result of long-term changes in stage-discharge relations from 1954 to 2004 ..............................81 X. Equivalent-stage discharges, corresponding percent exceedance values, and approximate decreases in percent duration of inundation, at various discharges, calculated at streamgages and within reaches along the nontidal Apalachicola River, Florida, as a result of long-term changes in stage-discharge relations from 1954 to 2004 ...................................................................82-83 Digital files of stage-discharge relations at streamgages and between-gage sites............................................................................................... CD (back pocket) Figures 1-2. Maps showing: 1. Drainage basin of the Apalachicola, Chattahoochee, and Flint Rivers in Florida, Georgia, and Alabama ......................................................................................................... 3 2. Major reaches of the Apalachicola River and location of long-term streamflow gaging stations ...................................................................................................................... 4 3. Diagram showing possible causes of long-term water-level decline in rivers and resulting impacts on river-floodplain habitats .......................................................................... 5 4-19. Graphs showing: 4. Water-surface profiles developed in 1956 and 1995 for the nontidal reach of the Apalachicola River, Florida, for a discharge of 9,300 cubic feet per second at Chattahoochee streamgage ............................................................................................... 9 5. Time series of stage during low-flow conditions in the Apalachicola River, Florida, showing time periods used to develop stage-discharge relations ............. 11 6. Stage at five streamgages on the Apalachicola River in relation to discharge at Chattahoochee, Florida, with known and estimated joining points for pre-dam and recent relations ........................................................................................... 14 7. Stage of joining points in relation to riverbank elevation and water surface at low flow in the Apalachicola River, Florida ............................................................... 15 8. Data used