A Living Dream In The Cahabas 11/20/13

          The Cahaba is a water shed located in various areas of Alabama. The major cities you can find the Cahaba running through include Selma, Birmingham, Hoover, Cahaba, and Marion. Buck creek is the tributary that the Cahaba runs to.
          The Cahaba is known for the unique and rare species that live there. The watershed supports many different species of fish and mussels. The Cahaba is the champion of all watersheds in fish diversity with a wowing number of 131 different fish species. Some include the Blue Shiner, the Cahaba Shiner, and the Frecklebelly madtom. There are forty-two species of mussels with eleven threatened and one already extinct. The Cahaba has 118 different type of snails including unique species such as the painted rocksnail. The Cahaba is known for the extremely rare and famous Cahaba Lilly. One can spot a lilly by it's beautiful, delicate flowers.
          At 194 miles long with a basin that is 1,870 sq. mi. this watershed is the longest free-flowing river in Alabama. The Cahaba is known to be the most scenic and diverse watershed. This watershed is broken into two general areas. The Upper Cahaba runs through Birmingham, Mountain Brook, Trussville, and Leeds being the mountainous, rocky part of the watershed. The Lower Cahaba has a dramatic transition by deeming and widening. Here, sandbars replace the rocky shoals of the Upper Cahaba.
          The main threat to this gorgeous place are the high levels of nitrogen and phosphorous. Occasionally there will be threatening chemical spills in the water as well, which affects the quality of the water.
          Currently the Cahaba River Society is the main group that looks out for this watershed. They do their best to protect its unique diversity and scenic areas. The group conserves the water quality and does not discriminate by no means when it comes to creating a healthier environment for residents and whoever else may come for a visit.
          The Oak-pine forest is the predominant habitat of the Upper Cahaba. In the Lower Cahaba the loblolly-shortleafe pine dominates. These areas are technically separate, however still come together as a whole because of the uniqueness and dominance it has over all other watersheds.
          The Cahaba has been through many historical experiences. It was inhabited for around 10,000 years and was considered to be the boundary line between the Choctaws and Creeks. Then, during the Civil War, the Cahaba was used as a path for steamboat travel, but that was rare. After, in 1890, Birmingham declared this river the primary source of their drinking water.

The Cahaba Watershed

Cahaba Lillies