About the ACF

The Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) River Basin Drought Early Warning System (DEWS) is a collaborative federal, state, tribal and local interagency effort to improve early warning capacity and resilience to drought in the ACF Basin.  This region encompasses the basin’s headwaters in the southern Blue Ridge Mountains of Georgia, part of southeastern Alabama and the panhandle of Florida.  The DEWS was initiated with a kick-off meeting in Lake Blackshear, GA in December 2009, following an unprecedented drought from mid-2006 to early 2008 in northern Georgia and Alabama. 

Municipal, Agricultural, Recreation and Transportation Compete for Water

Competing needs in the ACF basin include:

• growing water demands in the Atlanta metropolitan area in the northern portion of the basin
• increasing irrigation demands in southwestern Georgia
• municipal water needs for small towns, and
• water needs for both recreation and transportation.

In addition to these needs, there are ecologically sensitive fish and mussels in the Flint River and the oyster industry of Apalachicola Bay. There have been more than 20 years of ongoing disputes among the states of Florida, Alabama, and Georgia concerning water allocation in the upper and lower portions of the basin.  Droughts can increase these conflicts, increasing the need for a proactive DEWS that effectively prepares for and assists in mitigating adverse drought impacts. 

Activities

• ACF DEWS Strategic Plan Workshop - ACF local stakeholders participated in a workshop on October 12 and 13, 2016 at Auburn University to inform the ACF DEWS Strategic Plan.  This Strategic Plan will be available end of 2016.  
• ACF Stakeholder Management Plan approved – The first proposed water management plan for the ACF developed over a 6-year period with thousands of volunteer and technical professional hours. 
• Update to the USACE water control plans and manuals for the ACF Basin – A draft water control manual and EIS has been released to the public for comments.  
• Effect of ENSO-Induced Climate Variability on Groundwater Levels in the ACF – Study on the connection between ENSO and groundwater levels.  Results may be used to better manage local groundwater levels. In Dry Times, Fall 2014 NIDIS newsletter, pages 10-11.  
• NIDIS-SECC ACF Webinar – Join the ACF monthly drought and climate webinar, sponsored by NIDIS and the Southeast Climate Consortium.  Past webinars are posted online in addition to a survey on the effectiveness of the ACF webinar. To receive webinar announcements, send a request to reuteem@auburn.edu.  To view past webinars, use the Event Search, and check “Webinar” and “ACF River Basin Drought Early Warning System” under “Location.”
• Development of a coastal drought index - Research is being conducted by Auburn University and University of Florida to develop a coastal drought index using the work developed by the USGS. 
• Impacts of climate variability cycles on baseflow levels in the Flint River – The impacts of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO), and North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) on baseflow were studied.  In Dry Times, Fall 2015 NIDIS newsletter, page 4.
• Southeast Water Managers and Use of Climate Information – An assessment among water managers in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia of awareness, perception, barriers, and opportunities associated with utilizing climate information.