APALACHICOLA-CHATTAHOOCHEE-FLINT (ACF) BASIN SNAPSHOT

• Area: 19,600 sq.miles = 12.3 million acres; 385 miles
• Population: 1995 population - 4 million; 2050 estimated population - 7 million
• Land use: 6% residential; 2% commercial; 25% agricultural; balance is mainly undeveloped forested
• Reservoirs: hundreds of reservoirs, 16 on the three principal river mainstems (11 non-federal and 5 federal)
• Storage: W.F. George storage area  45,000 surface acres and Lake Lanier storage area 38,500 surface acres
• Types of use: water supply, waste water dilution, hydropower production, commercial navigation, recreation, flood control, and sustaining and harvesting natural resources.

• 	Georgia	Alabama	Florida
  Population	90%	7%	3%
  Basin area	74%	15%	11%
  Withdrawals	82%	11%	7%

Source: Presentation to USDA-CSREES, National Water Conference Savannah, GA by Robert Haskell Abrams, Professor of Law, Florida A & M University (January 31, 2007)

Source: Lessons learned from transboundary management efforts in AFC basin: Steve Leitman book chapter, 2008

BASIN INFO - LINKS

Lessons learned from transboundary management efforts in AFC basin: Steve Leitman book chapter, 2008

Some observations on the management of ACF basin: Steve Leitman presentation

Southwest Georgia Water Resources Task Force; web portal 

Portal for all things ACT/ACF related.  Links and documents include resources from U.S.G.S., views and info from individuals, companies and NGOs, US Army Corps of Engineers, US EPA, US Bureau of Transportation, National Weather Service, U.S. legislation, universities, organizations, and reports.

Water quality in ACF

USGS report prepared in 1998 evaluating pesticides, nutrients and suspended sediments, and trace elements and organic compounds at selected locations (depenfing on the land use) in the ACF basin. Some of the primary concerns regarding water quality in some pockets of the basin can be summarized as follows:

• Erosion and Sedimentation/Turbidity - unpaved road input, agricultural land erosion and run off, streambank failure from erosion, channel instability, and livestock access to stream, and high in-channel sediment loading
• Agricultural irrigation - (center pivot irrigation systems) - reduction of spring flow and impacting ground water supply
• Pathogens - sewer lines and failing septic tanks, livestock contamination, fecal coliform, and dissolved oxygen

Interactive map of the Apalachicola River

The following document is a general overview of the water quality and issues for the Flint River  Flint River water usage.pdf

This docuement is the fact sheet from 2002 by the USGS on the ACF basin  fs2007-3034, USGS Fact sheet.pdf