Water Resource Inventory and Assessment Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge Bibb County, Alabama U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Region Atlanta, Georgia December 2013 Water Resource Inventory and Assessment Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge Bibb County, Alabama Theresa A. Thom U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Inventory and Monitoring Network Savannah Coastal Refuge Complex, 694 Beech Hill Lane Hardeeville, SC 29927 Rebecca E. Burns Atkins North America, Inc. 5200 Seventy Seven Center Drive, Suite 500 Charlotte, NC 28217 John Faustini U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Southeast Region 1875 Century Blvd., Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30345 Kirsten J. Hunt Atkins North America, Inc. 1616 East Millbrook Road, Suite 310 Raleigh, NC 27609 December 2013 U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Please cite this publication as: Thom, T.A., R.E. Burns, J. Faustini and K.J. Hunt. 2013. Water Resource Inventory and Assessment (WRIA): Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge, Bibb County, Alabama, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Southeast Region. Atlanta, Georgia. 102 pp. + appendices. COVER PHOTO: View of the Cahaba River, the heart of Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge, 2012. Photo credit: Theresa Thom / USFWS. Used by permission. ii Acknowledgements This work was completed in part through contract PO# F11PD00794 between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Atkins North America, Inc. Information for this report was compiled through coordination with multiple state and federal partners and non‐governmental agencies, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM), the Cahaba River Society (ADEM), the Geological Survey of Alabama (GSA), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), the Alabama Aquatic Biodiversity Center (AABC), and the Alabama Innovation Engine. Significant input and support of this process was provided by Sarah Clardy, the refuge manager for Cahaba River NWR, Mountain Longleaf NWR and Watercress Darter NWR. The authors thank Taylor Griswell (ADEM), Randy Haddock (CRS), Eric Spadgenske (USFWS), Jeff Powell (USFWS), Dwight Cooley (USFWS), Pat O’Neil (GSA), Paul Johnson (AABC), and Jim Williams (USGS) for their comments on earlier drafts of this report, and for generously sharing their time, expertise, and knowledge. The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. iii Table of Contents 1 Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Findings ......................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Key Water Resources Issues of Concern ....................................................................................... 3 1.3 Needs and Recommendations ...................................................................................................... 3 2 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 4 3 Facility Information ............................................................................................................................... 6 4 Natural Setting .................................................................................................................................... 12 4.1 Region of Hydrologic Influence (RHI) .......................................................................................... 12 4.2 Topography and Landforms ........................................................................................................ 12 4.3 Geology ....................................................................................................................................... 15 4.4 Soils ............................................................................................................................................. 17 4.5 Hydrology and Geomorphology .................................................................................................. 21 4.6 Anthropogenic Landscape Changes ............................................................................................ 21 4.7 Climate ........................................................................................................................................ 26 4.7.1 Historical Climate ................................................................................................................ 26 4.7.2 Climate Change Projections ................................................................................................ 32 5 Inventory Summary and Discussion .................................................................................................... 35 5.1 Water Resources ......................................................................................................................... 35 5.1.1 Rivers/Streams/Creeks ........................................................................................................ 35 5.1.2 Lakes/Ponds ........................................................................................................................ 37 5.1.3 Springs and Seeps ................................................................................................................ 37 5.1.4 Wetlands ............................................................................................................................. 37 5.1.5 Groundwater ....................................................................................................................... 40 5.2 Infrastructure .............................................................................................................................. 40 5.2.1 Water Supply Wells ............................................................................................................. 40 5.2.2 Water Control Structures and Impoundments .................................................................... 41 5.2.3 Other Water Resources Infrastructure ................................................................................ 41 5.3 Water Monitoring ....................................................................................................................... 41 5.3.1 Surface Water ..................................................................................................................... 41 5.3.2 Groundwater ....................................................................................................................... 51 5.4 Water Quantity and Timing ........................................................................................................ 53 5.4.1 Historical Streamflows ........................................................................................................ 53 iv 5.4.2 Hydrologic Alterations ......................................................................................................... 56 5.4.3 Land Use Activities Affecting Water Quantity and Timing .................................................. 60 5.5 Water Quality Conditions ............................................................................................................ 61 5.5.1 State Water Quality Regulations ........................................................................................ 62 5.5.2 Impaired Waters, TMDLs and NPDES Permits .................................................................... 64 5.5.3 Groundwater Quality .......................................................................................................... 67 5.5.4 Land Use Activities Affecting Water Quality ....................................................................... 68 5.6 Water Law/Water Rights ............................................................................................................ 70 5.6.1 State Water Law Overview.................................................................................................. 70 5.6.2 Aspects of State Water Law That May Negatively Affect the Station ................................ 71 5.6.3 Existing Formal Water Rights .............................................................................................. 72 6 Assessment ......................................................................................................................................... 73 6.1 Water Resource Issues of Concern ............................................................................................. 73 6.1.1 Urgent/Immediate Issues .................................................................................................... 73 6.1.2 Longer‐Term Issues ............................................................................................................. 76 6.2 Needs and Recommendations .................................................................................................... 80 7 Literature Cited ................................................................................................................................... 83 8 Appendices ........................................................................................................................................ 102 Appendices Appendix A August 14, 2012 WRIA Kick‐off Meeting Agenda, Summary, and Participant List Appendix B Listed