Survey to look at status of river and tributaries
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
By GUY BUSBY

MAGNOLIA SPRINGS — In places, the Magnolia River isn''t as deep as residents recall, but the waterway is not as clogged with sediment as many waterways, town officials said.

During the coming year, officials with Magnolia Springs, Mobile Bay National Estuary Program and Geological Survey of Alabama will conduct a sedimentation study of the river. The Magnolia Springs Town Council commissioned a sedimentation study of the river by the Geological Survey of Alabama, said Councilman Brett Gaar.

"The point of the study is to be proactive in identifying sites where sedimentation is occurring," Gaar said. "This will give us a good indication of where we are now and recommendations on the specific areas we need to monitor."

The project began in the fall and will continue until about the end of the year. Gaar, chairman of the Town Council River Enhancement Committee, said the schedule for completion depends on the weather, but officials expect to have a report by the end of this year.

"They have to wait until a substantial rain event to take samples," he said.

Marlon Cook, state hydrologist for the GSA, is taking samples from locations along the river and in the streams that feed into the waterway, Gaar said. Water samples are checked for the amount of sediment and the type of ma terial found.

The size of the grains of silt and sand found in samples can indicate where the material came from and how it might affect the river bed, he said.

Most sediment that ends up in the river does not come from the banks of the Magnolia, but the creeks and springs that feed into it, Gaar said.

He said development in areas that drain into creeks throughout the watershed, which extends north of Foley, can send sediment downstream into the Magnolia River and Weeks Bay.

Gaar, who grew up in the Magnolia Springs area, said the effects of development are more obvious in the water today than in the past.

"It used to take a much more substantial rain to make the river muddy than it does now," Gaar said.

He said the river is still in good condition, however. Area residents have asked the Alabama Department of Environmental Management to designate the Magnolia River as an "Outstanding Alabama Water."

A designation of Outstanding Alabama Water would give the river a higher level of official environmental protection than the current listing of suitable for fishing and swimming, and provide additional protection from pollution, according to a town statement.

Gaar said the sedimentation study is not part of the effort to get the state''s highest level of environmental protection for the river, but the findings could help the effort.

The study will cost $58,000. About half the cost will be paid through a federal grant, another 25 percent paid by the state and about $6,000 in services by the town, Gaar said.

As part of the study and effort to improve the environmental protection status of the river and tributaries, Magnolia Springs officials will be working with representatives from other municipalities, the Baldwin County Commission and other agencies to address problems identified in the study, Gaar said.

(Source: http://www.al.com/)