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- BOARD STRUCTURE OF THE CHOCTAWHATCHEE, PEA, AND YELLOW RIVERS WATERSHED MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY
- WATERSHED ISSUES AND RECOMMENDATIONS
- DESCRIPTION OF WATERSHEDS
INTRODUCTIONThe Choctawhatchee, Pea and Yellow Rivers watersheds (CPYRW) cover a significant portion of southeast Alabama and contain a diverse and abundant assemblage of natural resources. The Choctawhatchee, Pea and Yellow Rivers Watershed Management Authority (CPYRWMA) was created by the Alabama Legislature (Public Law 91.602) in 1991 to “develop and execute plans and programs relating to any phase of conservation of water, water usage, flood prevention, flood control, water pollution control, wildlife habitat protection, agricultural and timberland protection, erosion prevention, and control of erosion, floodwater and sediment damages.” For more than two decades, the CPYRWMA has commissioned and funded scientific assessments, assisted local entities with water resource issues and initiatives, and has provided educational assistance and materials to local governments and citizens. As a next major step in watershed management, the CPYRWMA initiated the development of a Watershed Management Plan designed to consolidate watershed natural resource issues, available scientific data, and future management options for the watershed. Preparation of the Watershed Management Plan was guided by a steering committee made up of representatives from all state natural resource agencies. The information in this document provides a framework for the CPYRWMA to assist federal, state, and local officials and agencies, and local stakeholders in protecting and preserving the natural resources in the CPYRW, while guiding prudent development of resources required for economic development and improved quality of life for residents in southeast Alabama. The document contains information on current demographics, land use, water quantity and quality, conservation, biological resources, and educational outreach and includes recommendations and management strategies. Although the document is intended to be comprehensive, reality dictates that there are issues and data that were inadvertently omitted. Therefore, annual updates to the document will be made to include omitted information and new available data. BOARD STRUCTURE OF THE CHOCTAWHATCHEE, PEA, AND YELLOW RIVERS WATERSHED MANAGEMENT AUTHORITYThe CPYRWMA is governed by a Board of Directors composed of sixteen volunteer directors representing the counties within the watershed boundaries. The Board presently consists of one Resident Director from each county and six At-Large Directors. The Watershed Management Authority concept is closely tied with Soil and Water Conservation Districts. Public Law 91-602 Section 9-10A-6 states that petitions to create Watershed Management Authorities must be filed with the Board of Supervisors of the Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) for counties containing watersheds included in the petition. The law (Section 9-10A-9, 10) also states that the SWCD Board of Supervisors shall determine the number of Directors and shall elect or appoint Directors to the Watershed Management Authority. Directors serve four-year terms, receive no salaries but are reimbursed for actual and necessary expenditures incurred in the performance of their duties. The current membership and structure of the Board of Directors is shown in table 1. The Board appoints an unspecified number of volunteer technical advisors from local governments, state and federal agencies, private industry, and individual citizens. Current technical advisors are listed in table 2. The advisory committee to the WMP are listed in Appendix 8. WATERSHED ISSUES AND RECOMMENDATIONSThe following watershed management plan is formatted with a framework of pertinent issues for the CPYRWMA to use in developing strategies and policies to preserve and protect natural resources in the CPYRW and to assist federal, state, and local agencies and entities in economic development initiatives to enhance the quality of life for all watershed residents. To achieve these goals, recommendations and water policy options are identified and discussed throughout the document. Table 1 provides a summary of issues and recommendations and policy options for consideration by the CPYRWMA Board of Directors. DESCRIPTION OF WATERSHEDSA watershed is an area of land that catches water which drains or seeps into a marsh, stream, river, lake, or groundwater. By U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) standards, a watershed is defined as an area of land where all of the water that is under it or drains off of it goes into the same place. A watershed approach is the most effective framework to address water resource challenges. Watersheds supply drinking water, provide recreational opportunities, and sustain life and ecological health. According to the USEPA, more than $450 billion in food, fiber, manufactured goods, and tourism depend on clean water and healthy watersheds. Watersheds represent the most logical basis for managing water resources because they are defined by natural hydrology, are geographically focused, include region specific stressors, involve all stakeholders, and strategically address priority water resource goals (USEPA, 2014a). The Choctawhatchee River originates as two separate forks (East Fork and West Fork) in wetlands near Clayton in Barbour County. The East and West Forks flow through areas with more species of trees than any other forest in temperate North America (CPYRWMA, 2014). Near Ozark in central Dale County, the forks merge to form the Choctawhatchee River which flows southwest for about 48 miles to Geneva. The Choctawhatchee River is one of the longest free-flowing rivers remaining in Alabama. Its main tributary, the Pea River, joins the Choctawhatchee just below Geneva, near the Florida state line. The Pea River watershed drains the area immediately west of the Choctawhatchee River and begins in Bullock County south of Union Springs. The Pea River flows southwestward for approximately 68 miles to Elba (northwest Coffee County), southward for 30 miles into Geneva County, then gradually eastward, briefly flowing into Florida before joining the Choctawhatchee River south of Geneva. The Yellow River drains the area west of the Pea River, originates in southern Crenshaw County, and flows southward through Coffee and Covington Counties. The Yellow River exits Alabama in southern Covington County near Florala, joins the Blackwater River, and eventually reaches Blackwater Bay, near Pensacola, Florida (CPYRWMA, 2014). Directory: downloads downloads -> Northern England’s set-jetting locations downloads -> Dynatest 3031 lwd light Weight Deflectometer downloads -> Forth coming competitive exams downloads -> Brush High School Morning Announcements Friday, September 05, 2014 all school downloads -> Year 9 The Arts — Music downloads -> Years 7 and 8 standard elaborations — Australian Curriculum: Music draft downloads -> Chris Young sets 2016 “I’m Comin’ Over” Tour headlining dates downloads -> Slavery and Abolition: the Plymouth Connection Introduction downloads -> Summer Assignment Download 0.51 Mb. Share with your friends:
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