PROJECT MANAGEMENT OFFICE
Alabama - Coosa River
Systems.
Black Warrior - Tombigbee
River Systems
Navigation:
Waterway
Users Information - Navigation, dredging, locks
and dams.
Alabama River Hydropower - Hydroelectric power generation.
Archives:
Historical photos of various projects
and miscellaneous items in the Project Management Area.
The development of the Alabama-Coosa River system was authorized in the River and Harbor Act of 1945 and included comprehensive development of the entire basin. Corps of Engineers improvements in the upper basin include eight flood control protection projects and two headwater flood control power-dams, Allatoona and Carters.
The lower Alabama has been developed for (1) navigation - a nine foot channel from the mouth of the Alabama River to a few miles above Montgomery, AL, including three locks and dams; (2) hydrographic - electric generating powerhouses; and (3) recreation - facilities as found on the Claiborne Lake, R.E. "Bob" Woodruff Lake and William "Bill" Dannelly Reservoir.
Claiborne
Lake:
Claiborne Lake is the most
primitive of the Alabama River Lakes. Nestled in Alabama's Southwest
hill country, the lake encompasses over 60 miles of the Alabama River,
stretching from the Claiborne Lock and Dam to Miller's Ferry Lock and Dam.
Although the lake remains mostly within the original river banks, Claiborne
provides extensive opportunities for water-related recreation, such as
boating, fishing, swimming and skiing. There are also plenty
of good sites for picnicking, camping and hiking.
William
"Bill" Dannelly Reservoir:
Bisecting Alabama's Black
Prairie Belt, the William "Bill" Dannelly Reservoir encompasses 105 miles
of the Alabama River, from Miller's Ferry Lock and Dam to the Robert F.
Henry Lock and Dam. Named for an active supporter of river development,
the late Judge Dannelly of Camden, Alabama, Dannelly Reservoir was created
by the construction of Miller's Ferry Lock and Dam which was completed
in 1970. The power plant produces enough electricity to serve more
than 50,000 homes. Dannelly Reservoir boasts an area of about
27 square miles and a shoreline of more than 500 miles. Since opening
in 1974, the lake and its surrounding parks have become a recreational
center, offering excellent fishing, skiing, boating and hunting.
R.E.
"Bob" Woodruff Lake:
R.E. "Bob" Woodruff Lake
stretches along 80 miles of the Alabama River and has an area of about
20 square miles. As its level fluctuates minimally, the lake is an
ideal spot for recreation activities. Woodruff Lake was made possible
through the construction of the Robert F. Henry Lock and Dam which was
completed in 1975. The dam backs up the river to a minimum depth
of nine feet from the upper end of the William "Bill" Dannelly Reservoir
to the Alabama Power Company's Walter Bouldin Dam on the Coosa River.
The project's power plant at R.F. Henry produces enough electricity to
serve approximately 45,000 homes. Woodruff Lake offers such
activities as fishing, boating, water skiing, picnicking, camping swimming
and hiking.
Black Warrior - Tombigbee (BW&T) River Systems
The Black Warrior - Tombigbee Waterway provides a link from the upper Black Warrior basin to the port of Mobile. It also connects Mobile with the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway and 1,600 miles of navigable inland waterways including the Ohio River and the upper Mississippi River. The Black Warrior-Tombigbee Waterway consists of a channel nine feet deep and 200 feet wide from the confluence of the Tombigbee and Alabama River to the head of navigation on the Black Warrior near Birmingham. The total waterway distance is 457 miles with a lift of 257 feet accomplished by the existence of six locks and dams. The system also provides hydroelectric power, water supply, water quality, flood control, and recreational opportunities.
The Black Warrior originates near Birmingham, Alabama and flows south and west, joining the Tombigbee near Demopolis. The two rivers merge with the Alabama near Coffeeville to form the Mobile River, which in turn flows into Mobile Bay on the Gulf of Mexico.
In 1875 the first plans to improve the rivers for navigation were approved and the BW&T waterway was authorized by a series of Congressional Acts from 1884 to 1960. Between 1895 and 1915 a system of 17 locks and dams was constructed between Mobile and Birmingham. The original locks and dams were built to provide a six foot deep channel, adequate enough for the steam powered tow boats and packets of the era. Dams were built by hand, of stone and mortar. Locks were walled with stone-filled timber cribs.
In 1937 a program to modernize the system was begun. The 17 low-lift locks were replaced by 6 high-lift locks, capable of expediting present-day tow boats and barges. Five of the modern locks were built between 1954 and 1975: Bankhead, Holt, Selden, Demopolis, and Coffeeville. The sixth and final lock, William Bacon Oliver, was opened to traffic in July 1991.
The six locks feature chamber dimensions of 110-feet-wide and 600-feet-long which can accommodate a tow of up to eight standard barges. Channel navigation is maintained by the Tuscaloosa Site Office.
The Black Warrior-Tombigbee Waterway is now more than ever a vital commercial route. The 15 million tons of commerce that moves over the system each year makes it one of the most heavily used water routes in the Southeast.
Principal commodities carried on the waterway are coal, iron ore, petroleum products - both crude and refined, limestone, sand and gravel, basic chemicals, logs, sulfur, iron and steel products, and manganese ores.
The State of Alabama operates inland dock facilities at five sites along the waterway. The installations in Tuscaloosa and Demopolis include grain elevators to handle the region's agricultural output.
POINT OF CONTACT
This site has been created and is maintained by the US Army Corps of Engineers, Operations Division, Mobile District. Any questions concerning these pages can be sent to: pagemaster@usace.army.mil,
Mailing Address:
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Tuscaloosa Site Office
101 21st Ave.
Tuscaloosa, AL 35401-1065
Phone: (205) 752-3571
Fax: (205) 758-8498