U. S. Army Corps of Engineers - Mobile District

Navigation


     Navigation was one of the earliest uses of our Southeastern rivers.  Indians
and early settlers used the rivers for transportation and commerce.  Keeping our
rivers clear for navigation was one of the first missions for the Corps of Engi-
neers.  Today's commercial barge lines still use rivers to move significant
quantities of bulk materials by barge.

     The Apalachicola and lower Alabama rivers are two rivers which require flow
to assure adequate depths.  A minimum flow is needed which will assure useable
depths.  In dryer months water is taken from lakes to augment natural river flow.
This can often result in the decline in lake levels.  Lakes were built for this
intended purpose so a falling lake is just a sign of the lake doing its job.

Navigation Windows

     On the Apalachicola River, navigation "windows" are being utilized during
the summer and early fall months when water conditions become too dry for
continuous periods of adequate depths.  The "windows" are typically 10-day periods
where the river is held at a specified level guaranteeing shippers a pre-determined
depth and adequate lead time to move onto the system.  Prior to the windows, the
flows on the Apalachicola River are reduced and the water is stored in the
upstream projects of George and West Point to be utilized during the windows.
Typically, the windows are scheduled every 30 days and efforts are made to schedule
them around the major holidays of Memorial Day, July 4, and Labor Day so that
the upstream projects will not be drawn on during these major recreational periods.
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