SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN EEGION. 



135 



STREAM FLOW IN THE REGION AND ITS MEASURE- 

 MENT. 



The region is well watered, and from it several of the pa1acWa?region 

 largest rivers of the country receive their supply, (gee ^j^g^®^^""^^*®'®^ 

 PI. XII.) The chief rivers in the States of Virginia, North 

 Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, 

 and West Virginia rise in these mountains. One of the 

 principal tributaries of the Ohio and one of the largest 

 feeders of the Mississippi head here also. So that this 

 region may justly be considered one of the important 

 watersheds of the United States. The Yadkin, Catawba, 

 Broad, Saluda, and Chattooga flow into the Atlantic. The 

 Chattahoochet and the Coosa flow into the Gulf. New 

 River flows to the north and enters the Kanawha, whose 

 waters finally reach the Mississippi through the Ohio, 

 while the Tennessee, with its large tributaries, the Hol- 

 ston, the Nolichucky, and the French Broad, flow to the 

 west through the State of Tennessee, finally entering the 

 Mississippi. The Cheoah, the Nantahala, the Oconalufty, 

 and the Tuckasegee, all large streams from 50 to 100 yards 

 wide, join their waters to the Tennessee and flow in a 

 naiTow and rocky gorge through the Great Smok}'^ Moun- 

 tains, while the Hiwassee unites with that river in the 

 State of Tennessee beyond the mountains. 



An examination of the watersheds and a general inves- 

 tigation of the streams in this mountain region were made 

 by the United States Geological Surve}' during the sum- 

 mer of 1900, the detailed results of which will be pub- 

 lished in a series of Water-Supply and Irrigation Papers 

 of the Survey. The following general facts are, however, 

 presented for publication in this paper. 



During the hydrographic investigation of this region, urlmente. 

 extending through 1900 and 1901 , measurements of flow 

 were made on the larger streams and more than one thou- 

 sand of their upper tributaries, and 54 gauging stations 

 were established. At each station a gauge was perma- 

 nently placed, upon which the height of the water surface 

 was read and recorded daily by a local observer, and to 

 which were referred the current-meter measurements, 

 which were made about every sixt}^ days, or oftener, as 

 circumstances demanded or permitted. From these data 

 a curve was platted, according to the method usually fol- 

 lowed by the Survey. From this curve, the mean of the 

 daily gauge readings being known, the approximate daily 

 discharge has been calculated. The great difficulty en- 

 countered at these stations was to obtain measurements 



