1, A 13,352-ha (33,000-acre) cattle 

 ranch was established in the Apalachicola 

 River floodplain about '^-10 km (6 mi) 

 Much of the area was 

 and drained, while waste 

 over the dikes into the 

 The potential impact of 



above the bay. 

 cleared, ditched, 

 water was pumped 

 river system. 



this operation is under study and review, 

 although farming has continued, and water 

 quality has deteriorated in some of the 

 upland creeks. 



?. Portions of the drainage system 

 have historically been subjected to 

 forestry operations, which include 

 ditching, draining, clearcutting, and 

 reforestation. These activities have been 

 associated with local changes in water 

 quality and short-term adverse effects on 

 aquatic biological associations 

 (Livingston 1^78). A long-term 

 mul tidiscipl inary study has iust been 

 completed by the Florida Sea Grant College 

 (Livingston lQ83c) along with proposed 

 management practices which are designed to 

 mitigate adverse impacts. 



3. Recent population increases along 

 the north Florida coast have stressed 

 regional coastal counties in terms of 

 municipal development, sewage disposal, 

 and storm water runoff (Livingston lP83d). 

 The recognition of such potential impact 

 has led to the development of relatively 

 advanced local land use plans such as that 

 adopted by Franklin County in 1P81 

 (Livingston lP80a, b, iq83c). 

 Implementation of the comprehensive plan 

 has not been carried out, however. During 

 1^8^, sewage spills closed down the 

 Apalachicola oyster industry for prolonged 

 periods. Meanwhile, proposals to bring 

 high-density construction projects to 

 coastal areas of Franklin Count v have 

 proliferated. 



4. A continuing problem in the 

 region involves proposals to either 

 channelize or dam the Apalachicola River 

 to make a corridor for barge traffic and 

 industrial development. These 

 developments would serve as a north-south 

 link between upriver ports on the 

 Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers in Alabama 

 and Georgia and the Gulf of Mexico. 

 Authorization for a maintained channel 

 (30. B m or 100 ft wide, ?.7 m or 8.8 ft 

 deep) by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 



(USAGE) was part of the amended Rivers and 

 Harbor Act of 1^46. A system of 13 dams 

 is already in place on the Chattahoochee 

 River and three dams are currently in use 

 on the Flint River (Figure 4). Associated 

 with these activities are a series of 

 barge terminal facilities and offloading 

 systems. Rock outcrops in the 

 Apalachicola River have been removed as 

 part of ongoing, extensive dredging and 

 channelization of the river. Superimposed 

 over these activities is the increasing 

 municipal water use in areas such as 

 Atlanta, Georgia, where sustained 

 population growth could reduce water flow 

 in the tri -river system in the near 

 future. 



 Federal 

 a Other 



Figure 4. Distribution 

 along the tri-river 

 information provided by 

 Corps of Engineers). 



of impoundments 

 system (after 

 the U.S. Army 



