/·' l?OSTI ' I' I Ef'I-J PL.l'l'b' I GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA S. W. McCALLIE, State Geologist DRAINAGE INVESTIGATIONS OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE C. G. ELLIOTT, Chief of Drainage Investigations BULLETIN NO. 25 A PRELIMINARY REPORT ON DRAINAGE RECLAMATION IN GEORGIA The Drainage Situation in Georgia BY S. W. McCallie. State Geologist AND Drainage Examinations and Surveys in Georgia By U. S. Department of Agriculture THE ADVISORY BOARD OF THE Geological Survey of Georgia in the Year 1911 (Ex-Officio) His ExcELLENCY, JOSEPH M. BROWN, Governor of Georgia PRESIDENT oF THE BoARD HoN. PHILJP COOK ....................... Secretary of State RoN. J. P. BROWN .......................... State Treasurer RoN. W. A. WRIGHT ..................... Comptroller-General RoN. H. A. HALL .......................... Attorney-General RoN. T. G. HUDSON .............. Commissioner of Agriculture RoN. M. L. BRITTAIN .......... Commissioner of Public Schools LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL GEoLOGICAL SuRVEY oF GEORGIA, ATLANTA, June 15, 1911. To His Excellency, JosEPH M. BRowN, Governor, and President of the Advisory Board of the Geological Survey of Georgia. SIR: I have the honor to submit herewith a preliminary report on Drainage Reclamation in Georgia by this department and Drainage Examinations and Surveys in Georgia by the U. S. Department o£ Ag­ Ticulture, to be published as Bulletin No. 25 o£ this Survey. Very respectfully yours, S. W. McCALLIE, State Geologist. 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Advisory Board .........................................•....... 3 Letter of Transmittal ......................................... 5 List of Illustrations ........................................... 10 Drainage Conditions in Georgia . ....... 11-26 Swamp ·and overflow lands ................................... 11-26 Introductory ............................................... 11 Swamp lands ............................................. 11·12 Overflow lands ............................................ 12-13 Wet lands ................................................ 13 Salt marsh lands .......................................... 13-14 Investigation of drainage conditions by the State . ....... 14-24 Introductory ......................................... : . .... 14 Okefinokee Swamp survey .. : . ............................. 14-19 Survey of the Chickasawhatchee Creek swamp ............. 19-24 Federal Government ...................................•....... 24 How the State would be benefitted by the drainage of swamp and overflow lands .............................. 25-26 Drai:aage Examinations and Surveys in Georgia ................. 27-98 Foreword .................................................... 28·39 Bryan County, by J. V. Phillips ............................... 31-34 Location and description .................................... 30 Natural drainage channels and outlets ....................... 31 Typical area needing drainage .............................. 31-32 Drainage of the past ....................................... 32 Present farming conditions ................................. 32-33 Conclusion ................................................. 33 Chatham County, by J. V. Phillips ..................... · · · · · · · · 35-37 Location and description ............................ · · · · · .. 35 Present drainage conditions .......................... ·.······ 35-36 Opportunities ....................................... · · · · · · .. 36-37 Clinch and Echols Counties, drainage conditions of the Suwanoochee Creek Valley, by J. v. Phillips ............... 39-41 Location and description ................................... 39 Farming, crops and soils ........................ _. .......... 40 Transportation and roads ................................... 40 Need of drainage ........................................... 40-41 Glynn County, by F. G. Eason .......................... · . · · .. · . 43-47 Location and description ................................... 43 Natural drainage channels .................................. 43-44 Soil .... ········· .......................................... 44 7 Page Natural drainage conditions ................................ 44-45 Farming conditions and crops ............................. 45-46 Transportation facilities ..................................... 46 Drainage plan proposed .•................................... 46-47 Liberty County, by F. G. Eason ............................... 49-52 Location and description ................................... 49 Natural drainage channels .................................. 49-50 The drainage situation ..................................... 50-51 Transportation ............................................. 51 Conclusion ................................................. 51-52 Mcintosh County, by F. G. Eason ............................. 53-58 Location and drainage conditions ........................... 53-54 Natural drainage channels ........................... · ...... 54-55 Soil and farming conditions ................................. 55-56 Transportation ............................................. 56 Outlook for drainage ........................................ 57 Coast section of the county ................................. 57-58 Telfair County, by J. R. Haswell ..... ~ .................... · · · .. 59-69 Description ................................................ 59 Farming conditions ......................................... 60 Soil ................................................ · ...... 60-61 Watersheds ................................................ 62-63 Rainfall and run-off ........................................ 63-66 Proposed Improvements .............................. · ...... 66-68 Appendix-Bench marks .••••••.•.••••••••••••••..... · ...... 68-69 The proposed drainage improvement of McRae Branch, Telfair County, by J. R. Haswell ...................•....... 71-81 Introduction ............................................... 71 Geographical location and area ............................. 72 Natural drainage channels .................................. 72·73 Natural surface conditions .................................. 73 Crops and land values ...................................... 73-74 Soil ....................................................... 74 Description of survey ....................................... 74-75 Plan proposed for drainage Improvement ..................... 75-79 Beneficial results ........................................... 79-80 Estimate of cost ............................................ 80 Data for main ditch ........................................ 80 List of bench marks ••.••................................... 81 Drainage plan for the Berry School Farm, by L. L. Ridinger ........................................ The Berry School Farm .................................... 83-90 Introduction ............................................... 83 Drainage .................................................. 84 Surveys ................................................... 84-85 Plans for improvement ..................................... 85-86 8 ... Page Cost of the improvement ..........................•....... 86-87 General specifie~itions for constructing tile drains ...•...... 87-89 Digging the trenches ..................................... 87 Grading the bottom ..............................•....... 87 Laying the tile ........................................... 87-88 Blinding the tile ......................................... 88 The line method .......................................... 88-89 Catch basins or inlets ...................................... 89 Protection of outlets ........................................ 89 Estimate of cost. ........................................... 89-90 Bench marks ............................................... 90 1\he improvement of the Mulberry River, Jackson County, by L. L. Hidinger ........................................ 91-98 Location and description ................................... 91-92 The survey ................................................ 92-93 Results of the survey ...................................... 93-94 Plans and estimates ........................................ 94-97 Estimate of cost ............................................ 97 Recommendations .......................................... 97-98 Bench marks ............................................... 98 Proposed drainage law ....................................... 99-188 9 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS PLATES I. Cypress for~t in the Okefinokee Swamp. Frontispiece II. Fig. 1.-Cultivated "Second Bottoms," west side of Opp. Page Flint River, near Montezuma, Macon County. 24 Fig. 2.-Pyles Marsh, at low tide, eleven miles north- west of Brunswick, Glynn County . 24 III. Fig. 1.-Maudin Swamp, Bryan County. 32 Fig. 2.-Canoochee River, Bryan County. 32 IV. Fig. 1.-Cross Swamp, near Clyde, Bryan County. Typical of the gum swamps of this section as to size of trees ..................................... : . 36 Fig. 2.-Typical low-lying flat woods, near Clyde, Bryan 'County, s.howing the eft:ects of the forest fires which often follow in the wake of the timber and turpentine operations . 36 Fig. 1.-:Sridge over Gum · Swamp Creek, Telfair County, one mile northeast of McRae-Old bridge at right . 48 Fig. 2.-Gum Swamp Creek, near McRae, Telfair County, looking up stream from bridge on one of the four channels . 48 VI. Fig. 1.-Cultivated lands at edge of flat woods, McRae Branch, Telfair County-Branch at extreme right, Ocmulgee Valley in