As one of several National Focus Area Studies within the USGS National Water Census (NWC) the USGS completed a 3-year study of water availability and use in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) River Basin.
National Water Census • ACF Basin • Drought Impacts • Water Use • Estimating Streamflow • Groundwater/Surface-Water Interactions
The ACF Basin includes parts of the three states of Alabama, Florida, and Georgia and is an important water resource for the Atlanta Metropolitan area and several downstream cities. The river and its tributaries provide water to the nearly 4 million people that live in the basin and supplies extend outside the basin in many areas. ACF Basin waters supplied irrigation water to 736,000 acres in 2010 and is a critical source of freshwater for aquatic ecosystems in rivers and to Apalachicola Bay in Florida.
Appropriation of ACF water has been contested over the last three decades among the states that share the basin. Issues focus on use of water in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area, consumption of groundwater and surface water for agricultural irrigation in southwest Georgia, and freshwater needs in Apalachicola Bay.
USGS NWC Focus Area Studies (FAS) assess water availability and use to increase the understanding of factors affecting water availability in the region. The NWC evaluates water availability using a water-budget approach to better quantify the inflows and outflows of water, as well as the change in storage volume, both nationally and at a regional (basin) scale. After gathering input from numerous stakeholders in the ACF, the USGS determined that sufficient resources were being applied to management of large reservoirs and flows in mainstem rivers. The most important scientific contributions could be made by providing information on the many other water-availability influences that are important:
- Drought Impacts on Streams and Groundwater
- Water Use
- Estimating Streamflows
- Groundwater/Surface-Water Interactions
The ACF River Basin FAS has developed new information on the above important components of the basin water budget that can be used to inform water managers throughout the region and aid them in addressing current and future challenges. The above links, and links to FAS products provide an in-depth discussion on the results of the study and access to study data sets.
National Water Census • ACF Basin • Drought Impacts • Water Use • Estimating Streamflow • Groundwater/Surface-Water Interactions
Below are science components of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin Focus Area Study.
National Water Census
Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin Focus Area Study: Drought Impacts on Streams and Groundwater
Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin Focus Area Study: Water Use
Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin Focus Area Study: Estimating Streamflow
Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin Focus Area Study: Groundwater/Surface-Water Interactions
- Overview
As one of several National Focus Area Studies within the USGS National Water Census (NWC) the USGS completed a 3-year study of water availability and use in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) River Basin.
National Water Census • ACF Basin • Drought Impacts • Water Use • Estimating Streamflow • Groundwater/Surface-Water Interactions
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.The ACF Basin includes parts of the three states of Alabama, Florida, and Georgia and is an important water resource for the Atlanta Metropolitan area and several downstream cities. The river and its tributaries provide water to the nearly 4 million people that live in the basin and supplies extend outside the basin in many areas. ACF Basin waters supplied irrigation water to 736,000 acres in 2010 and is a critical source of freshwater for aquatic ecosystems in rivers and to Apalachicola Bay in Florida.
Appropriation of ACF water has been contested over the last three decades among the states that share the basin. Issues focus on use of water in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area, consumption of groundwater and surface water for agricultural irrigation in southwest Georgia, and freshwater needs in Apalachicola Bay.
USGS NWC Focus Area Studies (FAS) assess water availability and use to increase the understanding of factors affecting water availability in the region. The NWC evaluates water availability using a water-budget approach to better quantify the inflows and outflows of water, as well as the change in storage volume, both nationally and at a regional (basin) scale. After gathering input from numerous stakeholders in the ACF, the USGS determined that sufficient resources were being applied to management of large reservoirs and flows in mainstem rivers. The most important scientific contributions could be made by providing information on the many other water-availability influences that are important:
- Drought Impacts on Streams and Groundwater
- Water Use
- Estimating Streamflows
- Groundwater/Surface-Water Interactions
The ACF River Basin FAS has developed new information on the above important components of the basin water budget that can be used to inform water managers throughout the region and aid them in addressing current and future challenges. The above links, and links to FAS products provide an in-depth discussion on the results of the study and access to study data sets.
National Water Census • ACF Basin • Drought Impacts • Water Use • Estimating Streamflow • Groundwater/Surface-Water Interactions
- Science
Below are science components of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin Focus Area Study.
National Water Census
The National Water Census will deliver routinely updated water availability information in the United States.Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin Focus Area Study: Drought Impacts on Streams and Groundwater
During 2011 drought conditions in the ACF basin provided an opportunity to document streamflow and groundwater levels under these extreme conditions. Over 350 water levels were measured in wells and streamflow was measured at 212 streams or springs.Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin Focus Area Study: Water Use
Water use estimates and water returns for the ACF Basin were estimated and compiled by category and location during 2010. Categories included public supply, self-suppled domestic, self-supplied commercial, industrial, mining, agricultural (crop irrigation, livestock, and aquaculture), and thermoelectric-power generation. Methods for estimating irrigation water use were compared and evaluated...Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin Focus Area Study: Estimating Streamflow
A hydrologic model that simulates streamflow conditions in the ACF Basin was constructed using the Precipitation Runoff Modeling System. The model simulated development by including withdrawals and returns, interbasin transfers, storage in unmanaged reservoirs, and impervious surface.Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin Focus Area Study: Groundwater/Surface-Water Interactions
In the lower Chattahoochee and Flint River Basin, a groundwater flow model was developed to simulate the effects of groundwater withdrawals on streamflow. This model was linked with the streamflow model to improve estimates of baseflow conditions during critical times, such as droughts. - Publications