Hydrologic and water-quality conditions in the lower Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint and parts of the Aucillasuwannee-Ochlockonee River basins Georgia, Florida and Alabama, during drought conditions, July 2011

Abstract

As part of the U.S. Department of the Interior sustainable water strategy, WaterSMART, the U.S. Geological Survey documented hydrologic and water-quality conditions in the lower Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint and western and central Aucilla-Suwanee-Ochlockonee River basins in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia during low-flow conditions in July 2011. Moderate-drought conditions prevailed in this area during early 2011 and worsened to exceptional by June, with cumulative rainfall departures from the 1981-2010 climate normals registering deficits ranging from 17 to 27 inches. As a result, groundwater levels and stream discharges measured below median daily levels throughout most of 2011. Waterquality field properties including temperature, dissolved oxygen, specific conductance, and pH were measured at surface-water sites.