Our WWALS Watersheds

Update 2016-03-03: Please see Streamer on the Suwannee, Withlacoochee, and Alapaha.

WWALS Watersheds Here in our WWALS watersheds in south central Georgia, instead of a single big river like the Flint or Altamaha, our many small blackwater streams meander through cypress swamps and remnants of longleaf pine forests. Tannin from oak roots produces the tea color that is one of many attractive features of our streams.

Maybe you, like me, have trouble keeping track of the watersheds of the Willacoochee, Withlacoochee, Alapaha and Little River Systems. U.S. EPA has much useful information about every U.S. watershed. On the right is a map I got EPA’s My WATERS Mapper to make by clicking on a point near Valdosta (a point just north of Tifton also works) that was close to all three WWALS watersheds known to that Graphical Information System (GIS):

The numbers are eight-digit Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD) subbasin identifiers.

The Willacoochee River is included in the Alapaha watershed. Why is the Little River not included in the Withlacoochee watershed? Historical reasons, apparently, as in nobody seems to know.

Alapaha River Watershed Alapaha Watershed — 03110202

EPA’s My WATERS Mapper can show you details.

The Willacoochee River is included in the Alapaha watershed.

Counties:

Georgia: Atkinson, Ben Hill, Berrien, Clinch, Coffee, Crisp, Dooly, Echols, Irwin, Lanier, Lowndes, Tift, Turner, Wilcox
Florida: Hamilton, Suwannee

Cities:

Georgia: Valdosta, Statenville, Lakeland, Ocilla, Fitzgerald, Chula, Ashburn
Florida: Jasper

Withlacoochee River Watershed Withlacoochee Watershed — 03110203

EPA’s My WATERS Mapper can show you details.

Counties:

Georgia: Berrien, Brooks, Colquitt, Cook, Lanier, Lowndes, Thomas, Tift, Worth
Florida: Hamilton, Madison, Suwannee

Cities:

Georgia: Valdosta, Tifton, Moultrie, Nashville, Adel, Quitman
Florida: Madison

Little River Watershed Little Watershed — 03110204

EPA’s My WATERS Mapper can show you details.

Why is the Little River not included in the Withlacoochee watershed when the Willacoochee River is included in the Alapaha watershed? Who can say?

Counties:

Georgia: Brooks, Colquitt, Cook, Lowndes, Tift, Turner, Worth
Florida: none

Cities:

Georgia: Valdosta, Hahira, Adel, Moultrie, Omega, Tifton, Chula, Sylvester, Ashburn
Florida: none

-jsq