HYDROLOGY OF AREA 22, EASTERN COAL PROVINCE, ALABAMA NEW YORK MULBERRY FORK LOCUST FORK SIPSEY FORK PENNSYLVANIA BEAR CREEK NORTH CAROLINA (SOUTH CAROLINA \ ALABAMA UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-RESOURCES INVESTIGATIONS OPEN-FILE REPORT 81-135 HYDROLOGY OF AREA 22, EASTERN COAL PROVINCE, ALABAMA BY JOE R. HARK1NS AND OTHERS U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-RESOURCES INVESTIGATIONS 81-135 TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA MARCH 1981 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR JAMES G. WATT, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Doyle G. Frederick, Acting Director For additional information write to: U. S. Geological Survey P. O. Box V University, Alabama 35486 CONTENTS Page Abstract .................................................... 1 1.0 Introduction ..................................................................... 2 1.1 Objective .................................................................... 2 F. A. Kilpatrick and J. R. Rollo 1.2 Project area. ................................................................. .4 Joe R. Harkins 1.3 Hydrologic problems related to surface mining. .......................................... .6 Celso Puente 2.0 General features. ................................................................. .8 2.1 Geology .................................................................... .8 A. K. Sparkes 2.2 Land forms .................................................................. 10 A. K. Sparkes 2.3 Surface drainage. .............................................................. 12 Joe R. Harkins 2.4 Land use. ................................................................... 14 G. J. Allord 2.5 Soils ...................................................................... 16 Mark E. Green 2.6 Precipitation ................................................................. 18 Joe R. Harkins 3.0 Water use ...................................................................... 20 3.1 Water use in 1975. ............................................................. 20 Mark E. Green 3.2 Use classification of streams ....................................................... 22 Mark E. Green 4.0 Hydrologic networks. .............................................................. 24 4.1 Surface water ................................................................ 24 Joe R. Harkins 4.2 Ground water ................................................................ 26 A. K. Sparkes 5.0 Surface water ................................................................... 28 5.1 Streamflow characteristics ........................................................ 28 Joe R. Harkins 5.2 Low flow ................................................................... 30 Joe R. Harkins 5.3 Flood flow .................................................................. 32 Joe R. Harkins 5.4 Duration of flow ...............................'............................... 34 Joe R. Harkins III 6.0 Quality of surface water ............................................................ 36 6.1 Specific conductance and dissolved solids .............................................. 36 Celso Puente 6.2 pH. ....................................................................... 38 Celso Puente 6.3 Sediment ................................................................... 40 Celso Puente 6.4 Iron. ...................................................................... 42 Elizabeth A. Flanary 6.5 Manganese .................................................................. 44 Elizabeth A. Flanary 6.6 Sulfate..................................................................... 46 Celso Puente 6.7 Trace elements. ............................................................... 48 Celso Puente 7.0 Ground water ................................................................... 50 7.1 Source, recharge and movement .................................................... 50 A. K. Sparkes 7.2 Water levels. ................................................................. 52 A. K. Sparkes 7.3 Water availability .............................................................. 54 A. K. Sparkes 8.0 Quality of ground water ............................................................ 56 Elizabeth A. Flanary 9.0 Water-data sources ................................................................ 58 9.1 Introduction ................................................................. 58 9.2 National water-data exchange-NAWDEX .............................................. 60 9.3 WATST0RE ................................................................. 62 9.4 Index to Water-data activities in coal provinces .......................................... 64 10.0 List of references ................................................................ 66 Appendixes ....................................................................... 68 1. Stream classification Alabama intrastate waters. .......................................... 68 2. Surface-water stations ........................................................... 70 j 3. Ground-water stations ........................................................... 72 IV FACTORS FOR CONVERTING INCH-POUND UNITS TO INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM OF UNITS (SI) For the convenience of readers who may want to use International System of Units (SI), the data may be converted by using the following factors: Multiply the inch-pound units By To obtain the SI units inches (in) 25.4 millimeters (mm) inches per hour (in/h) 25.4 millimeters per hour (mm/h) 2.54 centimeters per hour (cm/h) feet (ft) 0.3048 meters (m) feet per mile (ft/mi) 0.1894 meters per kilometer (m/km) miles (mi) 1.609 kilometers (km) square miles (mi2) 2.590 square kilometers (km2) acre 0.4047 square hectometers (hm2) acre feet 1233 cubic meters (m3) gallons per minute (gal/min) 0.06309 liters per second (L/s) million gallons per day (mgal/d) 0.04381 cubic meters per second (m3/s) 3785 cubic meters per day (m3/d) cubic feet per second (ft3/s) 0.02832 cubic meters per second (m3/s) cubic feet per second per cubic meters per second per square mile [(ft3/s)/mi2] 0.01093 square kilometer [(m3/s)/km2] tons per square mile per metric tons per square kilometer year [(ton/mi2)/yrj 0.03753 per year [(t/km2)/yr] HYDROLOGY OF AREA 22, EASTERN COAL PROVINCE, ALABAMA BY JOE R. HARKINS AND OTHERS ABSTRACT The Eastern Coal Province is divided into 24 hydro- Use of water is primarily from surface-water sources logic reporting areas. Area 22 is located near the south­ as ground-water supplies generally are not sufficient for ern end of the Eastern Coal Province, in the Mobile and public supplies. The largest uses of water are for hydro­ Tennessee River basins. It includes part of the Plateau electric power generation, and industrial and municipal and the northern edge of the Warrior coal fields in supplies for use outside the Area (Birmingham). Alabama, and covers an area of 2,495 square miles. The U.S. Geological Survey operates a network of This report is designed to be useful to mine owners hydrologic data collection stations to monitor the and operators and consulting engineers by presenting streamflow and ground-water conditions. This network information about existing hydrologic conditions and includes 74 surface-water stations, 13 observation wells, identifying sources of hydrologic information. General and 4 springs. These data include rate of flow, water hydrologic information is presented in a brief text with levels, and water-quality parameters. These data are illustrations on a single water-resources related topic. available from computer storage through the National Water Data Exchange (NAWDEX) as well as in published The area is underlain by the Cretaceous Tuscaloosa reports. Group (Gordo and Coker Formations), Pennsylvanian Pottsville Formation, and pre-Pennsylyanian rocks. The Hydrologic problems relating to surface mining are Pottsville Formation, containing the coal beds, underlies (1) erosion and sedimentation, (2) decline in ground- about 85 percent of the Area, including all of the central water levels, and (3) degradation of water quality. part. Pre-Pennsylvanian rocks are exposed in two valleys Average annual sediment yields can increase by four along the eastern side of the Area and the Tuscaloosa magnitudes in surface mined areas from 20 tons per Group overlies the Pottsville Formation and the pre- square mile per year from areas not affected by mining Pennsylvanian rocks along the western side. to 300,000 tons per square mile per year from mined areas. Sediment yields increase drastically when vegeta­ The Area lies in four stream basins, the Mulberry tion is removed from the highly erosive soils and from and Locust Forks of the Black Warrior River and Bear unregulated surface mining operations. Decline in Creek, which is a tributary to the Tennessee River. ground-water levels can occur in and near surface mining Sipsey Fork, the largest basin, is a tributary to Mulberry areas when excavation extends below the water level in Fork. Mulberry Fork basin is underlain almost entirely the aquifer. This can cause nearby wells and springs to by the coal-bearing rocks of the Pottsville Formation. go dry. Acid mine drainage is a problem only adjacent Sipsey Fork, principal tributary to Mulberry Fork, and to the mined area. The acid water is neutralized quickly most of it's tributaries flow into Lewis by the buffering action of calcareous minerals and (or) Smith Lake. The outflow of the lake is regulated by alkaline water, but does increase trace-element concen­ hydropower generating