TORREYA 



September, 1914. 

 Vol. 14 No. 9 



THE AQUATIC VEGETATION OF SQUAW SHOALS, 

 TUSCALOOSA COUNTY, ALABAMA 



By Roland M. Harper 



Most rivers which traverse hilly and rocky regions have rapids 

 or shoals at many places, where they cross strata a little harder 

 than the average. At such places the gradient of the stream-bed 

 is steeper than usual, and consequently the velocity of the water 

 is greater and its depth and seasonal fluctuations less. Most 

 rocky shoals, in the eastern United States at least, seem to be 

 almost devoid of aquatic vegetation. But for some reason not at 

 present obvious, vegetation seems to thrive on the shoals of the 

 Warrior River, which drains most of the coal region of Alabama 

 and parts of some of the neighboring limestone valleys. Shoals 

 were formerly abundant along this river and its tributaries above 

 the fall-line at Tuscaloosa, but in the last two decades all within 

 25 miles of Tuscaloosa have been obliterated by the building of 

 locks and dams for the purpose of extending navigation to as 

 many coal mines as possible and ultimately to Birmingham 

 ("the Pittsburgh of the South"). The lowest shoal on the river 

 that is still visible is Squaw Shoals, in the extreme northeastern 

 part of Tuscaloosa County (in T. 18 S., R. 8 W.), about 26 miles 

 from Tuscaloosa by water. And at the present writing a 63 -foot 

 dam (Lock 17) is being built at its foot, which if no unexpected 

 difficulties arise will completely spoil the shoals for scientific 

 purposes within a year or two.* 



* Since the above sentence was written the work has been suspended for lack 

 of further appropriations from Congress, which will be welcome news to phyto- 

 geographers. 

 (No. 8, Vol. 14, of ToRREYA, Comprising pp. 133-148 was issued 12 August 1914.] 



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