/' l?OSTI ' I' I Ef' I-J PL. l'l'b' I GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA S. W. McCALLIE, State Geologist DRAINAGE INVESTIGATIONS OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE C. G. ELLIOTT, Chief of Drainage Investigations BULLETIN NO. 25 A PRELIMINARY REPORT ON DRAINAGE RECLAMATION IN GEORGIA The Drainage Situation in Georgia BY S. W. McCallie. State Geologist AND Drainage Examinations and Surveys in Georgia By U. S. Department of Agriculture THE ADVISORY BOARD OF THE Geological Survey of Georgia in the Year 1911 (Ex-Officio) His ExcELLENCY, JOSEPH M. BROWN, Governor of Georgia PRESIDENT oF THE BoARD HoN. PHILJP COOK ....................... Secretary of State RoN. J. P. BROWN .......................... State Treasurer RoN. W. A. WRIGHT ..................... Comptroller-General RoN. H. A. HALL .......................... Attorney-General RoN. T. G. HUDSON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Commissioner of Agriculture RoN. M. L. BRITTAIN .......... Commissioner of Public Schools LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL GEoLOGICAL SuRVEY oF GEORGIA, ATLANTA, June 15, 1911. To His Excellency, JosEPH M. BRowN, Governor, and President of the Advisory Board of the Geological Survey of Georgia. SIR: I have the honor to submit herewith a preliminary report on Drainage Reclamation in Georgia by this department and Drainage Examinations and Surveys in Georgia by the U. S. Department o AgTiculture, to be published as Bulletin No. 25 o this Survey. Very respectfully yours, S. W. McCALLIE, State Geologist. 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS Advisory Board ................................................ Letter of Transmittal ......................................... . List of Illustrations ........................................... . Drainage Conditions in Georgia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ....... . Swamp and overflow lands ................................... . Introductory ............................................... . Swamp lands ............................................. . Overflow lands ............................................ . Wet lands ................................................ . Salt marsh lands .......................................... . Investigation of drainage conditions by the State . . . . ....... . Introductory ......................................... : . .... . Okefinokee Swamp survey .. : . ............................. . Survey of the Chickasawhatchee Creek swamp ............. . Federal Government .......................................... How the State would be benefitted by the drainage of swamp and overflow lands .............................. . Drai:aage Examinations and Surveys in Georgia................. . Foreword .................................................... . Bryan County, by J. V. Phillips ............................... . Location and description .................................... . Natural drainage channels and outlets....................... . Typical area needing drainage.............................. . Drainage of the past....................................... . Present farming conditions................................. . Conclusion ................................................. . Chatham County, by J. V. Phillips ..................... Location and description ............................ .. . Present drainage conditions.......................... . Opportunities ....................................... .. ClincShuwaanndooEcchheoelsCrCeoekunVtiaelsl,eyd,rabiynaJg. ev.coPnhdiiltliiopnss. of ... the ..... .. . .. . . Location and description ................................... . Farming, crops and soils ........................ _. .......... . Transportation and roads ................................... . Need of drainage........................................... . Glynn County, by F. G. Eason.......................... . .. . Location and description ................................... . Natural drainage channels.................................. . Soil .... .......................................... . 7 Page 3 5 10 11-26 11-26 11 1112 12-13 13 13-14 14-24 14 14-19 19-24 24 25-26 27-98 2839 31-34 30 31 31-32 32 32-33 33 35-37 35 35-36 36-37 39-41 39 40 40 40-41 43-47 43 43-44 44 Natural drainage conditions................................ . Farming conditions and crops ............................. . Transportation facilities..................................... . Drainage plan proposed.................................... Liberty County, by F. G. Eason ............................... . Location and description................................... . Natural drainage channels.................................. . The drainage situation..................................... . Transportation ............................................. . Conclusion ................................................. . Mcintosh County, by F. G. Eason . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Location and drainage conditions ........................... . Natural drainage channels........................... ...... . Soil and farming conditions ................................. . Transportation ............................................. . Outlook for drainage ........................................ . Coast section of the county................................. . Telfair County, by J. R. Haswell ..... ~ .................... .. Description ................................................ . Farming conditions......................................... . Soil ................................................ ...... . Watersheds ................................................ . Rainfall and run-off ........................................ . Proposed Improvements.............................. ...... . Appendix-Bench marks........ ...... . The proposed drainage improvement of McRae Branch, Telfair County, by J. R. Haswell .......................... Introduction ............................................... . Geographical location and area............................. . Natural drainage channels.................................. . Natural surface conditions.................................. . Crops and land values ...................................... . Soil ....................................................... . Description of survey....................................... . Plan proposed for drainage Improvement..................... . Beneficial results ........................................... . Estimate of cost............................................ . Data for main ditch........................................ . List of bench marks .................................... Drainage plan for the Berry School Farm, by L. L. Ridinger ........................................ . The Berry School Farm .................................... . Introduction ............................................... . Drainage .................................................. . Surveys ................................................... . Plans for improvement..................................... . 8 Page 44-45 45-46 46 46-47 49-52 49 49-50 50-51 51 51-52 53-58 53-54 54-55 55-56 56 57 57-58 59-69 59 60 60-61 62-63 63-66 66-68 68-69 71-81 71 72 7273 73 73-74 74 74-75 75-79 79-80 80 80 81 83-90 83 84 84-85 85-86 ... Cost of the improvement ................................. General specifie~itions for constructing tile drains ......... Digging the trenches ..................................... . Grading the bottom ..................................... Laying the tile........................................... . Blinding the tile......................................... . The line method.......................................... . Catch basins or inlets ...................................... . Protection of outlets........................................ . Estimate of cost. ........................................... . Bench marks............................................... . 1\he improvement of the Mulberry River, Jackson County, by L. L. Hidinger........................................ . Location and description ................................... . The survey ................................................ . Results of the survey ...................................... . Plans and estimates........................................ . Estimate of cost............................................ . Recommendations .......................................... . Bench marks............................................... . Proposed drainage law ....................................... . Page 86-87 87-89 87 87 87-88 88 88-89 89 89 89-90 90 91-98 91-92 92-93 93-94 94-97 97 97-98 98 99-188 9 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS PLATES I. Cypress for~t in the Okefinokee Swamp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Frontispiece II. Fig. 1.-Cultivated "Second Bottoms," west side of Opp. Page Flint River, near Montezuma, Macon County. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Fig. 2.-Pyles Marsh, at low tide, eleven miles north- west of Brunswick, Glynn County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 III. Fig. 1.-Maudin Swamp, Bryan County. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Fig. 2.-Canoochee River, Bryan County. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 IV. Fig. 1.-Cross Swamp, near Clyde, Bryan County. Typical of the gum swamps of this section as to size of trees ..................................... : . . . . . . . . 36 Fig. 2.-Typical low-lying flat woods, near Clyde, Bryan 'County, s.howing the eft:ects of the forest fires which often follow in the wake of the timber and turpentine operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Fig. 1.-:Sridge over Gum Swamp Creek, Telfair County, one mile northeast of McRae-Old bridge at right . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Fig. 2.-Gum Swamp Creek, near McRae, Telfair County, looking up stream from bridge on one of the four channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 VI. Fig. 1.-Cultivated lands at edge of flat woods, McRae Branch, Telfair County-Branch at extreme right, Ocmulgee Valley in background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Fig. 2.-Mulberry River bordering the A. N. Smith farm, Jackson County, showing narrow straight section of the stream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 VII. Fig. 1.-Mulberry River, A. N. Smith farm, Jackson County, showing formation of sand bar at bend of stream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 Fig. 2.-Farm house on hill land bordering the Mul- berry River, Jackson County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 MAPS 1. Map of the Okefinokee Swamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 2. Map of the Chickasawhatchee Creek Swamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 3. Map of Telfair County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 4. Map of McRae Valley, Telfair County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 5. Map of lower portion of Mulberry River, Jackson County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . {12 10 DRAINAGE CONDITIONS IN GEORGIA SWAMP AND OVERFLOW LANDS S. W. McCALLIE INTRODUCTORY With the exception of Florida, Georgia has the greatest area of swamp and overflow lands of any of the Atlantic seaboard states, from Maine to the Gulf of Mexico. The extent of Georgia's swamp lands, as given by Mr. 0. G. Elliott, chief of Drainage Investigations, Office of Experiment Stations, U. S. Department of Agriculture, aggregates 2,700,000 acres, which is approximately one-fourteenth of the area of the entire state. The largest individual area of swamp land in the state, and one of the most extensive fresh water swamps in this country, is the Okefinokee Swamp, which comprises an area of about 500,000 acres. A large part of this swamp originally belonged to the state, but it was sold by an act of the legislature in 1890 to a private corporation for 26% cents per acre. Some idea may be had of the extent of the state's swamp and overflow lands when it is stated that they exceed in area more than one-third of Holland, which country supports a population greater than twice Georgia's population, as shown by the census of 1910. The swamp and overflow lands of Georgia may be divided, for convenience of description, into the following divisions: swamp lands, overflow lands, wet lands and salt-marsh lands. SwAMP LANDS The term swamp lands, as here used, embraces those lands that are covered with standing water throughout all, or a greater part, of the year, and in which water-loving plants generally grow in greater or 11 12 DRAINAGE RECLAMATION IN GEORGIA less profusion. Lands of this character are most often met with in the southern part of the state where the surface of the country is usually flat and the streams are sluggish and have but little fall. To this class of lands belong the innumerable small cypress swamps of South Georgia as well as the great Okefinokee Swamp with it~ hundreds of thousands of acres. Some of these swamps seem to owe their origin to original depression left by the water of the receding ocean, others are poorly drained, shallow valleys of erosion along the streams, and still others are irregular depressed areas caused by the solution of the underlying limestones. The various aspects of the swamps are dependent chiefly upon the character of the vegetation which they produce and this, in turn, is dependent, in a large measure, on the depth of the water. Where the water has a depth of only a few feet, often the bulk of the vegetation consists of aquatie plants, such as bog-mosses, water lilies, etc., which give to the swamp an appearance of a treeless prairie. In the shallow water such trees as the cypress often grow to large size, forming, with vines and undergrowth, a dense forest. Invariably, these swamp lands are covered to the depth of one or more feet with impure vegetable matter in the form of dark-colored muck or peaty material which would, no doubt, add considerably to the fertility of such lands in case they were properly drained. OvERFLOW LANDS Overflow lands are the low lands along streams which become covered with water during floods. They always form shallow valleys and are the direct result of stream erosion. Overflow lands are met with in all parts of the state, but are especially abundant in South Georgia where the geological conditions are exceptionally favorable for the formation of wide flood-plains. Streams, when swollen by heavy rainfall, spread out over their flood-plains and d.eposit mud and sand more or less mixed with vegetable matter, which usually form remarkable fertile soils. -This class of lands in the state is undoubtedly increasing in extent, due, in part, to the SWAMP AND OVERFLOW LANDS 13 increasing frequency of :floods brought about by cutting away the forests, but more largely due, perhaps, to the overloaded condition of the streams which causes the filling and the clogging of the channels by the accumulation of sands washed from unterraced upland :fields. Anothtr condition which has a tendency to augment the area of overflow lands, especially on small streams, is the 'accu~ mulation of logs and drift-wood in the channels. In the last named instance the overflow conditions can often be effectually overcome by removing these obstructions, and by the cutting away of the cane, willows and other small growth which often rapidly encroach upon and obstruct waterways. WET LANDS Wet lands, as used in the above classification, include those lands which usually lie at a higher elevation than the swamp land, but are so poorly drained that during an excessively rainy season they produce little or no crops by reason of the excessive moisture of the soil. The uncertainty of crops from this class of lands is often too hazardous to warrant the expense of preparation and planting. During dry seasons they generally produce excellent crops, but should the growing season prove to be too wet the crop is often a complete failure. Wet lands &re almost invariably level, the slope of the surface being insufficient to allow the water to escape by run-off. Furthermore, these lands are often underlain by impervious subsoil which retards, to some extent, the flow of the water by downward seepage. Wet lands are widely distributed throughout the state, but they are especially abundant near the coast and in the wiregrass section where the surface is nearly level and where there is but little variation in the topography. Such wet lands as here referred to are usually quite readily recognized by their growth of gallberry bushes, short-stemmed palmetto and stunted long-leaf pines. SALT MARSH LANDS Salt marsh lands are low mud flats and marsh grass lands along the coast between low and high tide. They are usually covered twice 14 DRAINAGE RECLAMATION IN GEORGIA daily by the tide and as a consequence they can only be reclaimed for agricultural purposes by the construction of dikes. These lands, built up, as they are, by fine silts and clays brought down by the inland streams, invariably carry ample plant food for the production of luxuriant crops. Salt marsh lands form many thousand acres fringing the sea islands and the adjacent main land from Savannah to St. Mary's. INVESTIGATION oF DRAINAGE CoNDITIONS BY THE STATE INTRODUCTORY As far as the writer has been able to ascertain, all of the drainage investigations by the state, so far, have been carried on by the State Geological Survey, with the exception of Col. R. L. Hunter's survey of the Okefinokee Swamp, made in 1856-7 during the administration of Governor H. V. Johnson, with a view of ascertaining the practicability of its drainage, the cost of the same, etc. 0KEFINOKEE SwAMP SuRVEY Dr. George Little, former State Geologist, in speaking of this survey and a subsequent survey of the swamp, says:' "The Hunter survey began on December 3, 1856, and ended April 3, 1857, and was conducted with the assistance of M. B. Grant and C. M. Forsyth, and cost $3,260, including partial pay of the engineer in charge. There was furnished to the Governor a map of the swamp, with the elevation around the whole swamp and lines of ditches, which it was estimated would drain the swamp at a cost of $1,067,250. This map was lost during the war, and it is only due to the enterprise of Colonel E. Y. Clarke, editor of The Atlanta Constitution that a copy of Colonel Hunter's report has been hunted up and preserved, which, with verbal information furnished by Colonel Hunter himself, has materially aided the preparation of a map of the swamp. "On November 4, 1875, by direction of Governor J. M. Smith, 'Dr. Little's report, as here given, ws.s originally published in Hand-book of Georgia by T. P. Janes, Commissioner of Agriculture. ... SWA.MP A.ND OVERFLOW LA.ND8 15 the party of the Geological Survey operating in Southern Georgia joined The 'Constitution Expedition,' organized by the proprietors of the paper of that name in Atlanta, and remained until December 14th. A line of levels was run by Mr. C. A. Locke, engineer of the 'survey,' from Mixon's Ferry on Suwanee River to Trader's Hill on St. Mary's, showing the following elevations referred to ebb tide: Trader's Hi~l, on St. Mary's River . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Water surface at Mixon's Ferry.................................. Bench B, in pocket. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D, . . .. . .. . . .. . . .. .. . . .. . . .. .. . . ... .. . .. .. . .. . .. . F, .. .. . .. .. . .. .. . . .. . ... .. . .. .. .. . .. . . .. . . . Swamp between pocket and Jones' Island........................ Jones' Island . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Swamp between Jones' Island and Billy's Island. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bllly's Island. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Swamp E of Billy's Island. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Camp -Lee, Billy's Island......................................... B1lly's Lake, water surface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Swamp E of Billy's Island. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Two miles from Billy's Island on Little Trail. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Prairie West, side-water surface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Roddenberry's house, east side.................................... Long Branch, two miles from Roddenberry's house... . . . . . . . . . . . . . Trader's Hill. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Water surface, St. Mary's River. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Feet 107.:!06 122.mn 120.37:1 121.26~ 116.517 121.401 116.416 118.009 118.995 125.6:!7 115.991 118,995 119.326 121.241 153.351 55.092 79.045 5.000 "A map was prepared by Mr. M. T. Singleton, Assistant Engineer of the Geological Survey, which is here reproduced, showing the location of this line, as well as of other lines run by the compass and measured through the swamp by Mr. Locke and Mr. Pendleton, from Black Jack Island in the Southern portion to Honey Island south of Billy's Island; then to Billy's Island (called Pendleton's trail, from Mr. Charles Pendleton, of Valdosta, who accompanied the party); thence to Floyd's Island northeast; and thence northwest to Hickory Hammock, near the northern border, by Mr. Singleton and Mr. Loughridge, called Haines' trail, from Mr. George Haines, of Jesup, who furnished the laborers who cut out the way. "The line of levels which was run around the whole swamp, and connected with the water in the St. Mary's River near Trader's Hill, 16 DRAINAGE RECLAMATION IN GEORGIA furnishes the following information in regard to the elevation of the surface at different points: "The highest part of the swamp is its northern extremity, where it is 126~ feet above tidewater. Coming south, in six miles it descends five feet, and then in thirteen miles from the last point it descends only one and a half feet on th~ east side, it being at that point (Mr. Mattox's) 120 feet above tidewater; while at an opposite point on the west side (the mouth of Surveyor's Creek) it is only 116~ feet. "A nearly uniform descent continues from Mr. Mattox's to the f:!Outheast corner of the swamp, where the elevation is 116% feet, while near Ellicott's Mound, where the branch of the St. Mary's runs out of the swamp, it is only 111% feet. "From the mouth of Surveyor's Creek to the extreme western angle of the swamp, it falls scarcely any, but on turning eastward toward the Suwanee River it gradually descends, and where that stream comes out of the swamp it is only about 110% feet above tide. At the northeast point of the Pocket it is 114% feet. From that point it falls toward the place where Cypress Creek runs out, where it rises to 118% feet when half way to the St. Mary's and gradually falls again to it." In conclusion, Dr. Little says: "A partial survey shows that there would be no engineering difficulty in draining the whole swamp perfectly and rendering available the enormous amount of cypress timber as well as thousands of tons of muck, which, with the aid of the Satilla marls, would convert the sandy as well as the red clay l~nds in the border into market gardens." In addition to the surveys above given, Dr. Little makes the following notes on the general character of the swamp : "A considerable area in the swamp bears cypress trees, which are nowhere excelled in size, one of which would yield thousands of shingles; and there is the pine and the white and red bays. The last of these take a fine polish, and would apparently be valuable for furniture and cabinet making. The islands in the swamp--Floyd's, .. SWAMP AND OVERFLOW LANDS 17 Billy's, Honey and Black Jack-are covered with pine and palmetto on their higher portions, where the soil is white and sandy, but still produces a luxuriant growth of long, tender grass, on which deer and wild cattle keep fat the year round. "On the borders of these islands there is a low hammock land which sustains a vigorous growth of magnolia, oak, etc., in a rich sandy soil. Outside of this are dense thickets of small shrubs, almost impenetrable, except where wildcats and bears have made their trails; and beyond these thickets, which sometimes give place to a perfect mat of bamboo briars ten feet high, many of them an inch, in diameter and armed with thorns which stick like daggers, we find an open marsh filled with long rushes and water-lilies, whose thick roots afford the only support for the feet in wading through the soft ooze and mud, which yields to the weight of a man, so that he sinks to the arm pits in many places. :Many small islands and clumps of trees dot these "prairies," as they are called; and these are generally surrounded by a floor of moss, which is sometimes firm enough to hold one's weight, and again forms a floating surface over the water; and while it does not break through beneath the feet, one can see it sink and rise for 10 or 20 feet around at every step; hence its name-Oke-fi-no-kee, or Trembling Earth. The Casino, Holly, etc., are the principal trees. In some portions live oak is :found on drier spots. "In the prairies are many open holes, free from vegetation and several feet in depth; and in these are found alligators, sometimes 10 to 12 feet in length, while otters are more numerous along the streams which connect the main open prairies with Billy's Lake and the Suwanee River. This lake is about four miles in length, :from 100 to 300 :feet in width, and from four to eight feet in depth, perfectly clear (at the time of our visit in November) and llbounding in the finest trout and jack fish, which even spring into ~e boat at night when a light is carried. In summer, hundreds of alligators may be seen sporting their unwieldy forms, while ducks and other water fowl are found in the greatest numbers. Just at 18 DR.AIN.AGE REOL.AM.ATION IN GEORGIA tlusk, white herons may be seen settling in the trees on the banks of the small lakes, until they look like a solid white wall. Occasionally a goose is heard, uttering its melancholy croak as he flaps his broad wings just out of reach of the hunter's shot. A few squirrels are seen 1n the more open woods on the islands, while owls make the night hideous with their hooting. Some large moccasins are found in the morass." In 1889, the Okefinokee Swamp, or that part of it owned by the state of Georgia, comprising an area of 380 square miles, was purchased by the Suwanee Canal Company at 261;2 cents per acre. The object of this- company in acquiring the swamp was, first, to utilize the timber which was known to exist therein in large quantities, and subsequently to drain the swamp and use the lands for agricultural purposes. With these objects in view, the canal company began, in September, 1891, the construction of a canal from St., Mary's River to the swamp, a distance of about six miles. Later this canal, which was 45 feet wide and six feet deep, was continued into the swamp for something like 12 miles. The canal was first to be utilized in getting the timber out of the swamp and thereafter it was to serve as the main drainage channel in draining the swamp. The Suwanee Canal Company, under the presidency of Captain Henry Jackson, of Atlanta, was successful in winning a large amount of cypress and other timber from the eastern side of the swamp, but operations were discontinued before the canal was sufficiently completed to have but little effect in draining the swamp as a whole. The large holdings of the Suwanee Canal Company have, within the last two or three years, been acquired by the Hebard Lumber Company, which is at present engaged in cutting and preparing for market the timber in the large cypress forest on the northwestern margin of the swamp. For more complete information on the Okefinokee Swamp, the reader is referred to the following publications: William Bartram's Travels, published in 1791; Georgia, Her Resources and Possibilities, published by the Agricultural Department of Georgia in 1896, ... 8WAMP AND OVERFLOW LAND8 19 and Okefinokee Swamp, by R. M. Harper, Popular Science Monthly, June, 1909. SuRVEY oF THE CHICKASAWHATCHEE CREEK SwAMP Subsequent to the Little survey of the Okefinokee Swamp above referred to, no action was apparently taken by the State looking to the reclamation of the swamp lands until 1894, when the following amendment to the law establishing the Geological Survey was enacted: "It shall also be the duty of said State Geologist to make a survey of the water-courses, ponds, lakes and swamp region of Georgia, and submit, in the report provided for, a topographical map showing the location, extent, means and plans of drainage, and also an. estimate of the cost of said drainage of the ponds, lakes and swamps of Georgia. The said State Geologist shall also make estimate of the value and extent of the lands to be reclaimed by said drainage. The State Geologist is hereby authorized to employ two competent topographers and four assistant topographers and two drivers, as may be necessary to carry out the purpose of this chapter." .Ai3 the General Assembly failed to make the necessary appropriation for the payment of topographers, assistant topographers, etc., named in this amendment, no money was available to carry out the provisions of the law; but, nevertheless, a limited amount of work was done in Calhoun and adjoining counties under D. Lee Wardroper, chief topographer, with the hope that the next legislature would vote the necessary appropriation to continue the work. The Ohick~awhatchee Creek, with its water-basin, was selected by Mr.. Wardroper as the base of operations ; and a period of nearly three months was devoted to field work. The surveying party under J\h. Wardroper began operations on April 17, 1895, and continued in the field until_July 10, when the party was disbanded at Dawson, Terrell County. The object of this survey was to obtain data for a topographical map and to ascertain whether or not the swamp lands of Southwest Georgia could be drained. DRAINAGE RECLAMATION IN GEORGIA In view of the limited amo).lnt of money at the disposal of the State Geologist for this survey, it was considered advisable to confine the operations of the topographical party to the survey of the Chickasawhatchee Creek and the water-shed tribut~ry thereto. The Chickasawhatchee Creek rises in the central part of Terrell County and flows in a southerly direction from its source to its mouth. After passing the south line of Terrell County, it forms the. boundary line between Calhoun and Dougherty counties, thence flowing into Baker County, it empties into the Ichawaynochaway Creek. The area surveyed within the outside lines during the field season was one hundred and thirty and four tenths (130.4) square miles. Of traverse control lines, two hundred and sixteen and two tenths (216.2) linear miles were run, requiring the occupation by the transit of 2,315 stations. Seventeen elevations per square mile were taken and recorded, and the outlines of swamp within sight of the different traverse control lines were sketched in the :field note book, As a base line, Mr. Wardroper used the north rail of the track of the Central of Georgia Railway Company, "Blakely Extension." His starting point, or the station "O" of the survey, was the western extremity of t~e base line and may be described as follows: The center of the north rail of the main track at the west end of the Leary Turnout, and at the "toe" of the switch rail. He determined the latitude of said station "O" to be approximately 31 31' 30" north; and azimuth of the base line to be 71 44', counting from the north point in direction similar to movements of hands of the watch. The longitude of said station zero he computed from a large official map of the United States. The instruments and facilities at hand prevented Mr. Wardroper from determining the absolute position of his starting point and base line. His determination of the position of said point is sufficiently accurate, however, for all present practical purposes. The "base line" is a fixed and permanent one, and if in the future a geodetic survey of the State be made, its position can be readily obtained _}l_~_,:I__ _ _ _ _ _ I I 1.3, 30 ... ------ ~ - - - - - - - " - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ,~ ~-- LECEND A:W.OS~ SIY/I#PSB STRE/I#S LS;j li'O/IbS ~ COVNTYL!NES8 E l RAILRMI)S liAP OF CHICKASAWIIATCIIEE CREEK l'\W.DIP. BY D. LEE ""ARDROPER ... SWAMP AND OVERFLOW LANDS 21 absolutely, and the map that he made and the field notes that he took can at all times be used, rendering totally unnecessary any resurvey of the territory. From the base line, and distributed over the entire territory surveyed where they would be of the greatest use, over 2,200 points were geometrically located. From these locations the positions of all places and features of the surface were ascertained. These geometrical locations constitute what are called traverse control lines. The method used in carrying forward these lines was that which is usually designated as "stadia" surveying. In this method, while the horizontal angles, or the azimuth of lines, are measured in ordinary methods of surveying, the horizontal distances are not measured with chains, rods or tapes, but are calculated from certain spaces on the stadia rods observed between two horizontal wires in the telescope of the transit. This method is sufficiently accurate to be used to establish the location of points, from one base line, over a territory of 1,000 square miles. It is a rapid and an economical method of making a topographical survey and is about four times cheaper than the chain and transit method. Relative elevations of all located points were taken and recorded. They were taken either by direct levels or by vertical angles. All the loops or polygons of levels closed (i. e. the work checked or was proved) to within less than one half of a foot, except two. The errors in these two are to be attributed to mistakes in reading the rod. In one polygon the error was two feet and in the other three feet. The polygons in which the errors occurred were outside ones and as their interior sides formed sides of other polygons, whose levels closed, these errors must have occurred in the outside lines and were so corrected. :Mr. Wardroper, in speaking of the drainage condition, says that the swamp lands of Southern Georgia, which cover a large portion of the country, may be divided into two classes-namely, creek swamps . imd pond swamps. Creek swamps in general are long and compara- 22 DRAINAGE RECIJAMATION IN GEORGIA tively narrow and are bounded on the sides and the upper end by higher ground. Their limits are usually sharply defined by a bank varying in height from one foot to ten feet. Through these swamps, in tortuous courses, flow the creeks whose names they bear. The surface of the swamps on a transverse section is practically level, while on a longitudinal section the surface slopes from one and one half feet to five feet to the mile. While, in a straight open channel of uniform size, flowing full, an inclination of one and one half feet per mile is sufficient to produce a velocity or force in the water capable of moving fine sand, to spread the same volume of water over the rough and more or less obstructed surface of the swamp its velocity will be reduced to almost nothing. And as the ordinary flow of water in an obstructed creek, in its struggle with over encroaching vegetation and fallen trunks of trees is unable to maintain and deepen a permanent channel, but spreads out more or less over the swamp, it is readily conceived that the water level of a swamp is slightly above the ground surface at all seasons excepting those of droughts. Swamp soil is a loose, black, spongy mud, which seems to be composed of decomposed vegetable matter and depositions from flood waters which often cover the swamp. Whenever drained and tilled, swamp lands have been found to be extremely fertile. Pond swamps differ from creek swamps only in the matter of drainage. The former, occupying depressions in the ground, have no natural surface outlet for drainage, while the latter do have such outlets. Pond swamps occupy p_robably not more than 10 per cent. of the swamp area surveyed. As far as the salubrity of the climate is concerned, it is just as necessary to drain them as it is to drain creek swamps. In the solution of the problem of draining the swamps of Southwestern Georgia, no serious difficulties will be encountered, excepting in a few cases of isolated ponds. The velocity of water in a channel 54 feet wide at top, 40 feet wide at bottom, and 7 feet deep, with a grade of one and one half ... SWAMP AND OVERFLOW LANDS 23 feet per mile, is 2.80 feet per second. A channel of this size, when flowing full, will discharge 924 cubic feet per second, or 89,833,600 cubic feet per 24 hours. This volume is equal to that of a rainfall one inch in depth (when duration of fall is 24 hours) over an area of 27 square miles. As, however, the country is quite flat, the velocity in the many tributary streams will be small, rendering it impossible for the rainfall from the outlying districts of the watershed to reach the main channel within the duration of the rainfall, consequently, for this reason, the main channel will not be subjected to the full duty of discharging the total amount of rainfall in the same length of time it may be falling. And further, as limesinks, ponds and subterranean water courses, which abound in the country, divert a large part of the storm water from the main lines of drainage, it is safe to assume that not more than one hal of such rainfall mentioned above would ever find its way into the main, drainage channel in the time that the rain was falling. Therefore, a channel of the above size would not only be of ample size to drain the swamp and to carry off the ordinary flow of the creek, but would, furthermore, be of sufficient capacity to carry off the storm water from a water shed of 54 square miles. The above is simply given as an example of what can be done on an inclination of one and one hal feet per mile. This grade is, however, the minimum that need ever be met with in the territory. The average grade would be between three and four feet per mile, which would call for much smaller channels proportionately for purposes outlined above. . Under the present conditions of drainage in Southwest Georgia, the vital forces at work in the vegetable kingdom, aided by deposi tions from flood waters, are augmenting the depths and areas of the tiwamps. Change this condition and assist some of the destructive foreH of nature, and the swamps will disappear, giving place to rich fields yielding bountiful harvests; the healthfulness of the coun~ will be improved; the vigor of. the inhabitants will be increased; 24 DRAINAGE RECLAMATION IN GEORGIA farming in all its branches will thrive; room will be made for new capital and new people; taxable values will be raised, and where the state receives cents in taxes now it will receive dollars then. It is not within the scope of this preliminary report to elaborate a proposed plan of drainage, nor to estimate the cost of such a work, nor to pro rate this cost to each acre of swamp land that may be reclaimed. This information would be most desirable and can be readily obtained, when the topographical survey is continued far enough at least to take in one complete watershed to- that creek where drainage may be under consideration. The area of the watershed, the amount of duration of rain storms, the proportion of the rainfall which runs off through subterranean passages, and the ordinary flow of the water in the creek are factors which must be known before an intelligent design of a system of drainage can be made. An estimate based upon Mr. Wardroper's map shows that, within the area surveyed, there is approximately 32,000 acres of swamp land which might be reclaimed by drainage, distributed as follows: Baker County, 5,000 acres; Calhoun County, 11,000 acres, and Dougherty County, 16,000 acres. FEDERAL GovERNMENT In addition to the drainage investigations above referred to, the Federal Government, under the direction of the Office of Experiment Stations, U. S. Department of Agriculture, has done considerable preliminary work in South Georgia investigating the swamp and overflow lands. The preliminary surveys all of which have been made in the last two years, cover all, or parts of the following counties: Chatham, Bryan, Liberty, Mcintosh, Glynn, Clinch, Echols, Jackson, Telfair and Floyd. The reports on these several counties, which occur in the following pages of this report, show a very large acreage of swamp and overflow lands of high fertility, much of which can be reclaimed at a comparative small cost. P&.l 1' B 11- 1" / G. I 1-'T CJ. 2 Fll:. l. - Cl.'LTI\".\TP.I ECO X D BOTT O)!. '."' \YEST X E Aft )1 0 :'\TE ZU )fA. M ACO X '0 ~TY Fit: . ., l YJ. F:~ )1.\H ~ U . AT L O '\V T I DE. ELEYE:\ )J lLE' ::\ OHTR \YE.'T O l1' nHt ' X;o:\\'I(' K , GLY XX COt; X TY .. SW.AMP .AND OVERFLOW LANDS 25 How THE STATE WouLD BE BENEFITED BY THE DRAINAGE OF SwAMP AND OvERFLow LANDS By an examination of the last report of State Comptroller-General Wright, it will be noticed that the so-called unimproved lands of the coast counties of Georgia, which lands include all of the swamp and over:liow lands, are valued at from $0.67 to $1.26 per acre, or an average less than $1.00 per acre. Swamp lands, I am informed, in many places can actually be purchased at from $2.00 to $3.00 per acre. It is a well-known fact that both swamp and overflow lands are, as. a general rule, remarkably fertile, and when properly drained and cultivated, yield luxuriant crops. Lands of this character in Georgia, where favorably located, should bring at a low estimate $50 or more per acre, or fifty times their present assessed valuation, as shown by the tax returns. In case these lands were drained, the State, instead of receiving, as it now does, an annual income in taxes to the amount of $13,500, should receive $675,000. It is true that this estimate is made on the supposition that all of the swamp and overflow land be reclaimed, which will probably never be completely realized, nevertheless, the ratio of increase in taxes to the State will hold good for every acre of land drained and put under cultivation. In addition to the increased money value to the State in the form of taxes, the reclamation of these lands will add greatly to the health of the section wherever drainage is carried on. It is a well-known fact, recently demonstrated by the medical profession, that malarial diseases, so prevalent in swamp lands, are due to the bite of a certain species of mosquitoes which almost invariably abound in greater or lees numbers in such places. The drainage of swamp lands destroys the breeding places of these insects, and as a result malarial diseases disappear. The census of 1870 gave the number of deaths from malaria in Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa for the preceding year as IJ.G per thousand of the total; while the census of 1890, wh~n large 26 DRAINAGE RECLAMATION IN GEORGIA areas of land had been drained, the death rate, due to malaria, was only 8.6 per thousand. For the east coast lands of Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida, the <;leath rate from malaria in 1870 was 66.2 per thousand, and in the same states in 1890 the rate was 61.7 per thousand. These figures show that malarial conditions did not materially change in the three last named states during the two decades, ~hich is accounted for, in a large measure, by the lack of drainage improvement. The facts brought out in the comparison of these two groups of states, in one of which drainage had been carried on to a large extent, and in the other but little or no drainage was attempted, demonstrate conclusively that malaria depends largely on swamp conditions, which can be removed by drainage. Drainage Examinations and Surveys IN GEORGIA CONDUCTED BY Drainage Investigations Office of Experiment Stations. U. S. Department of Agriculture. 1908-1911 FoREWORD The need for drainage in Georgia, particularly in the coast countie~, has been brought to the attention of this office many times during the past three years, and in response to requests, several preliminary drainage examinations have been made in order to determine what will be necessary to effect the reclamation of these swamp lands. The following is a collection of reports of various preliminary examinations, including the proposed drainage improvement of McRae Branch, Telfair County, a drainage plan for the Berry School Farm, Rome, Floyd County, and the proposed improvement of the Mulberry River, in Jackson County, the latter having been worked out in full for the use of the landowners. The names of the several engineers who conducted the work and reported on the various projects are given at the head of each report. The interest which has been aroused in the subject of drainage throughout the State and the desire of the landowners in many localities to carry out works of considerable magnitude, emphasize the need of a general drainage law. A drainage bill has been prepared and will be presented at the coming session of the legislature, and for this reason it is desired at this time to present the information that has so far been collected by this office relating to the drainage conditions in the State so that the subject may be intelligently considered. The drainage situation in Effingham County has also beep. made the subject o a special examination and a report upon same is here omitted as it is hoped that in the near future the report will be published as one o the Circulars o the U. S. Department o Agriculture. It is expected during the coming year that Drainage Investigations, Office o Experiment Stations, U. S. Department of Agricul- 28 FOREWORD 29 ture, will co-operate with the Geological Survey of Georgia in eontinning the drainage examinations and surveys which have already been initiated. Aside from the great change which will be effected in agriculture and agricultural methods by the reclamation of the swamps and wet farm lands of the coast counties and the overflowed valley lands throughout the State, a great benefit will be derived by changing many unhealthful localities into those suitable for habitation throughout the year. This benefit alone will, without doubt, contribute greatly to the prosperity of the State. c. G. ELLIOTT' Chief of Drainage Investigations. Washington, D. C., May 10, 1911. Bryan County 1 v. BY J. PHILLIPS Assistant Drainage Engineer, U. S. Department of Agriculture LocATION AND DESCRIPTION Bryan County, as will be seen from the map, is a long, narrow county situated just west of Chatham County, in which lies Savannah, Georgia's chief seaport. Bulloch County lies to its north, the Ogeechee River forms its eastern boundary line, the Atlantic Ocean bounds it on the south, and the Cannouchee and Medway rivers form Dlost of its western boundary line. It is traversed by three competing lines of railroads. The Seaboard Air Line crosses the northern section of the county, while the Seaboard Air Line and the Atlantic Coast Line cross the south central section of the county. The Savannah and Statesboro Railroad dords transportation for the extreme northeastern section of the county. The oounty has many swamps over the entire area, all of which dord independent outlets for their respective sections, or would do so if they were improved. Practically every section or locality in the ~ty was visited and the conditions existing in each were ~died, both by questioning the more prominent landowners and by personally riding over different sections of these creeks, which are merely :flat swamps in many cases. Some of the more prominent outlets in the county are: Cana Branch, Mill Creek, Black Creek, Savage Creek, Cross Swamp and l6ll Creek No. 2, all of which are shown on the map. ..... neld Examination made January-February, 1910. 31 32 DRAINAGE RECLAMATION lN GEORGIA NATURAL DRAINAGE CHANNELs AND OuTLETS Although Cana Branch is several miles in length, it has a good fall and the landowners from its head to :five or six miles below desire to improve that sectio~. As the lands bordering along the branch are low, :flat wood lands, at wet times the excessive water held in the swamp along the branch soaks into this higher land, thus doing it much injury. By digging a suitable canal along the branch an area of about two to three miles in width can be thoroughly drained. The body of the swamp, itself, varies from a few hundred feet to a quarter of a mile in width. Mill Creek No. 1, Black Creek, Savage Creek and Cross Swamp each have about the same sized water shed as Cana Branch. Each also has its swamp with its more or less open run, along which the black mud lands vary in width from one eighth to a half mile. The soil is about two to three feet deep, underlain with sand; however, a light brown or red clay is found in places. The area to either side of the swamp is :flat, low lying, and badly in need of drainage. This area varies from a light sandy loam to a sandy soil, yet there is very little of these lands that are too sandy for profitable cultivation after drainage. As mentioned above, the county is well covered with swamps, each of the larger swamps having its numerous tributaries and chains of ponds or depressions leading back into the higher lands. The Ogeechee River on the eastern boundary of the county and the Cannouchee on the western boundary line afford ample outlet for these several swamps, yet in their present condition, with their poor "runs" and thick undergrowth, these swamps and tributaries are worthless as outlets during wet times when the :flat wood lands lying in their watershed area unfit them wholly or partially for cultivation. TYPIOAL AREA NEEDING DRAINAGE In the northeastern section of the county is the home of Mr. Quincy Edwards, who owns about a thousand acres or more of good 1111 II X . IU I:! 1!1:(' 1. 1.11 . 1'110 \ ' IX r;I-: UI!Ii/ . 1 I'L I 'I ' t.; 111 - 1-'IG . I FIG. 2 l' l ,. 1 .- )IA.l'LOJ:\ S \\'.-\~11' . BHLI X C :\'l'Y. EO I: G irl Pli OTOG R AP II B Y .1. 1. 1'1111.1.11'.' . J !l1 0 Fl :. :!.- L' AXXOOC IT EF: 111\' f: R. BI: Y.IX \'00 :\' 'J.'Y. GEO B< : I.I Pll TO .H .-\. PII J:i' J. \'. I'IIII.LTPR. 1 0 1 0 .. BRYAN COUNTY 33 mud land and sandy loam. There is a chain of ponds or depressions on this land leading to Black Creek, a distance of some three miles. The area on either side that would be benefited by draining these ponds is about a mile or more in width, flat and very fertile, being a dark sandy loam. The ponds themselves contain gum and cypress, and have a black mud soil with a clay subsoil. DRAINAGE oF THE PAsT Regarding practical drainage, there has been none undertaken in this county since the days of slavery. Practically all of it at that time was for the culture of rice. With few exceptions this was prac- ticed along the rivers in the tidal belt. To-day old drains and em- bankments have all been entirely neglected and allowed to go to ruin. In Mauldin Swamp, just southeast of Cana Branch, there is an old cleared field containing about 100 acres. This field was cleared and thoroughly drained by slave labor years ago, and it is said that 50 bushels of corn and rice were grown per acre, while a bale of cotton was made on the same area. The swamp has a very rich black mud :sOil, about three to four feet in depth. Black gum is the prevailing timber, and there is several feet fall per mile. The swamp varies in -width from one fourth to one half mile, with a good sandy loam woods land on either side in the water shed. Some of the landowners in -Mor*" TQ ..... ,.,.s G 0 lit (' 0' ,L C' 0 (. 0 -r-,, corrEE- l\1.\l' OF 'l'ELFAIH COTJKTY t .. TELFAIR COUNTY 65 STORl\lS oF Two Ie~cnEs AXD OvER PER 24 HouRs FRO::\r .JANUARY, 1901 TO JUNE, 1909. ~-~-Inches ol DATE I Rain in STATIO N DATE Inches of Rain in STATION 24 Hours 24 Hours -:-~-1901 ---~ - - - ---~~~- --~- I 1905 Jan ~ l 2.37 Atlanta I Feb. 12 3 20 Hawkinsville Feb. 3 2.58 Atlanta I Aug. 9 2 08 Eastman Mch. 2fl Mch. 26 2.25 Atlanta 2.1:18 Macon I I Dec. Dec. 2 8 4.60 Atlanta 2.00 Hawkinsville Mch. 30 Apr. 13 Apr. 2 May 21 May ~1 June 12 Aug. 2~ Sept. 17 Sept. 1Sl Sept. 1R Sept. 17 Dec. 29 Dec. 14 2.35 2 56 Hawkim:ville Atlanta i 1906 Jan. 3 2.45 Macon Jan. 22 4.13 Atlanta 2.04 Eastman Mch. 14 Mch. 19 2.15 Eastman May 25 3 66 Atlanta June 12 2.30 Atlanta June 12 2 28 Macon June 5 2.10 Eastman .Tune 13 4 10 Hawkinsville July 17 2.99 Atlanta July 19 2.20 Macon Aug. 29 2.09 2.34 2.50 2.49 2.06 3 01 3 78 3 fi3 2 22 2.82 2.] 7 2.27 Atlanta Macon Atlanta Atlauta Atla uta Atlauta Macon East man East man Atlanta Eastman Ea,tman 1902 Oct. 1 2.56 Macon . Mch. 16 Mch. 14 Mch. 15 Mch. 16 July 24 July 12 July 13 July 14 July 15 July 11 July 12 Oct. 26 Dec. 16 1903 Feb. 7 May 14 June 4 June 3 July 6 Aug. 1 Sept. 13 2.12 Macon 2.05 Eastman 1.96 Eastman 2.47 Eastman 2.02 Macon 2.12 Eastmai1 1 80 Eastman 2.06 Eastman 1 25 Eastman 2 35 Hawkinsville 1 .43 Hawkinsville 3.70 Hawkinsville 2.20 Atlanta 2 45 Atlanta 2.60 Hawkinsville 2.41 Atlanta 3.50 Hawkinsville 2.18 Macon 3.60 Hawkinsville 3.00 Hawkinsville 1907 Feb. 4 Dec. 14 Dec. 13 Dec. 22 1908 Jan. 7 Jan. 7 Feb. 1 Mch. 23 Mch. 23 Mch. 24 Mch. 22 Mch. 23 Apr. 24 Apr. 14 Apr. 26 Apr. 15 Apr. 23 July 5 Aug. 25 2.01 Atlauta :l.15 Eastman 2. 70 Hawkinsville 2.20 Hawkinsville 2. 76 Eastman 2.35 Helena il. 52 Eao;tman :1.72 Macon 2.:.w Eastman 2.91 Eastman 2.74 Hawkinsville 3.00 Hawkinsville 2.n Atlauta 2.16 Macon 3 04 Macon 2 07 Eastman iUS Eastman 2 31 Atlanta 2.82 Macon 1904 Sept. 5 2.61 Hawkinsville Feb. 9 June 21 July 24 Aug. 8 Aug. 1 2 63 Hawkinsville 1909 2.30 Hawkinsville .Jan. 6il IPROYE::>IEKTS The project >vhich offers the greatest opportunities 1s the nver swamp. A levee, pierced with sluices, is required with possibly back levees along Big Horse Creek. The average height would be only about seven feet. There are parts of Coffee Bluff which, so far as known, have never been under water, and at Jacksonville Landing the greatest known stage has only been about four feet above the banks. The level of the stream varies about thirteen feet between low and high water. At the time of the examination the water was low and was about six feet below normal. There is a hill on the south bank of the river at Cooper's Ferry which rises about 75 feet above the river. The only thing to compare with this on the Telfair side is a mound, a few miles above Jacksonville and several hundred yards from the river bank. Reports state that it contains about five acree am1 i:hat it is 20 feet above high water. Indian pottery is said to have been found on it. The land back from the river is high enough to drain by gravity at ordinary stages but will have to have inter cepting ditches to take off the surplus water in wet years. Some land along the edge of the swamp gives excellent returns except in wet seasons, and all that is needed is a ditch above it to make the crops certain. The swamp land would probably increase in value from about $4 to $100 per acre. The next project in the order of magnitude is the "flat woods" in the lower part of the county. These are dry during most of .the .. TELFAIR COUJ.:TY year, but in wet seasons they are seYeral feet under water. The deepening of stream channels and the opening of outlets for ponded places -are all that are needed. Intercepting ditches on the uphill side of fiats ~would be found to be of aclYantagc, and tile drains through low places should give good results. The soil has been described under "sand" and contains a little muck. ~Where sand has been washed and forms considerable depththe practicability of expending large sums of money for improvements can be seriously questioned. There are about 40 square miles of "fiat woods" in the county. The value of the land is about $4 per acre but it would be worth about $25 if drained. The improvement of the smaller stream channels will open up a number of tracts of land on farms \Yhich are now occupied. Gnm Swamp offers the greatest opportunity. From Lumber City up the channel is good for several miles, but from there on dredging is badly needed. The bridge over the swamp at :McRae is 1,056 feet long and freshets spread to a much greater width. Sugar Creek has a number of wet fiats along it and would offer fair returns for improvements. The watershed is comparativel;thickly settled, and also has the added aflvantage of being near the railroads. Good roads are also numerous. Turnpike Creek, a branch of Sugar Creek, does not offer as great inducements as the latter. It does not run through as good a section, particularly at its head. The soil is not so good and it is far inland. Big Horse Creek has less overflowed land along it than the other streams. It is farther inland and is not near enough to the river tCt have an easy haul. It does not appear to be as large a project as those previously mentioned. The removal of trees and brush from the channel would be very beneficial. The same might be said of all the streams, but a dredged channel is needed on some to make a complew success. "The opportunity for the successful location of tile drains is one of the best in the State. There is enough fall to insure free operation, the soil is open, permitting a wirle lateral drainage, and tl1e 68 DRAINAGE RECLAMATION IN GEORGIA topography is such that long single lines will do the most good. Intercepting drains on the uphill side of bays and main lines in the bottoms of swales are what are most needed. The substitution of poles in the place of tile has been practiced. The quality of labor and the lack of proper supervision have resulted in failure to some of the pole drains. No tile has been used and there are few people iu the county who can lay it. There are also very few leveling instruments, mostly cheap farm levels being used for terracing. On the whole the people look upon drainage as an unnecessary expense. They have all the high land that they can manage and very little capital to work with. APPENDIX Elev. above BENCH MARKS No. mean sea. DESCIUP'l'ION. 1 112.84 On Little Ocmulgee River at Lumber City. South corHt::r of new bridge one-half mile east of town, top of bolt on bearing plate anchorage. Top of bolt was 0.37 feet above concrete in steel tube abutment. 2 153.20 Gum Swamp at McRae. Road northeast from town, one mile out, north side; 120 feet southwest of bridge over swamp; R. R. spike set vertically in a four-foot pine 3 205.40 tree, west side near ground. Sugar Creek at McRae. East corner of bridge, one mile south of town. Water oak one foot in diameter 13 feet from bridge; R. R. spike driven horizontally into tree, four feet above ground on north side of tree. BENCH MARKS ON 0CMULGEE RIVER, SET BY WAR 14 103.53 DEPARTMENT. "R. R. spike driven horizontally into base (one foot above ground) 28-inch red oak at McRae's Landing. Tree stands by side of road leading out from landing and is 185 feet from north bank of river; also is north 29 deg. 40 min. west, 181 feet from iron pipe, station No. 176, marked 'X.' 12.9 feet above local low water at bench mark. Mileage 15 107.48 15 5-20ths. "R. R. spike driven horizontally into base of 12-inch white oak tree; 'X' cut in tree three feet above spike. Tree stands 100 feet from north bank of river at Slangleter's Bluff and is 630 feet above station 1149. 12 feet above local low water at bench mark. Mileage 20 3-20ths. 15-A 103.03 16 109.13 17 112.94 18 124.39 19 122.29 20 126.59 21 137.17 G.S. 145.478 I ! G.S.I 229.il25 TELFAIR COUNTY x cut in top of large boulder in edge of water, 10 feet from south bank of river near point about 300 feet above Berkett's Landing, 20 feet down-stream trom station No. 1139. 6.5 feet above local low water at bench mark. Mileage 22. R. R. spike horizontally in base 30-inch cypress at Dodges Old Boon Landing. Stands north 17 east 38' from station marl,ed Nxo.: 1119 and 45' rrom north bank of river; 8.8 feet above local low water at bench mark. Mileage 25. "R. R. spike in base 18-inch oak about one foot above ground. Tree stands 55 feet from bank of river on north side and is about 125 feet below station 1106. Mouth of Horse Creek about 1,000 feet below. 10.5 feet above local low water at bench mark. Mileage 27 15-20ths. "R. R. spike in base of 12-inch oak on Scuffie Bluff 150 feet from bank on upper em! of bluff near wagon road 180 feet west of station No. 69 marked 'X.' 17.1 feet above local low water at bench marlc Mileage 34 4-20ths. "R. R. spike in base of 30-incll white oak about 1% feet above ground, 65 feet from bank at Bear Lake Land- ing and south 64~ feet east 141 feet from station No. 1046. 10.7 feet above local low water at bench mark. Mileage 38 12-20ths. "R. R. spike in 30-inch oak 1% feet above ground, 40 feet from bank at upper end of Coffee Bluff Landing Ll:,nding and 50 feet below slough, 135 feet west of station No. 1016, marked 'X.' 9.2 feet above local low water at bench marlc Mileage 43 15-20ths. "R. R. spike in base of 36-inch basket or post oak and two feet above ground, Hil' north 19 30' east of iron pipe, station No. 973 at Jacksonville Landing, 170' from river bank. 13.2 feet above local low water at bench mark. Mileage 51 6-20ths." U. S. G. S. mark at Lumber City, 200 feet east of the Southern Ry. station, 52 feet north of the center of the main track, 26 feet southwest of corner of barber shop, and 3% feet west of a chinaberry tree. U. S. G. S. mark at McRae, eight feet east of platform of old station, one foot east of the telegraph pole nearest the freight platform west of road at station, and 32 feet south of the center of the main track. The Proposed Drainage Improvement of the McRae Branch, Telfair County BY .T. H. HASWEU", Assistant Draina,r;e Engineer U. S. Department of Agriculhll'e lNTRODCCTIOX In the latter part of February, 1910, the attention of the U. S. Department of Agriculture 1vas called to some land in the lower part of Telfair County. A representative of the Bureau of Soils was sent to the farm of Judge :Max L. McRae to make an examination of the soil in both the high and low parts of the farm. The low lands needed drainage more than anything else and the assistance of Drainage Investigations, Office of Experiment Stations, was therefore requested, so that plans could be made for their reclamation. Mr. J. V. Phillips, Assistant Drainage Engineer, made a preliminary examination of the lo>v "flat woods" on August 2 and 3, 1910, and recommended that a survey be made. As Judge McRae stated that he was ready and willing to drain his land, the request for the survey was granted and J. R. Haswell, Assistant Drainage Engineer, was assigned to the work. After a talk with Judge McRae it was decided to stake out only enough lines to require a carload of tile. This tile work is the subject of another report. It was also decided not to stake out any ditches in the "flat woods" on account of the necessity of forming a drainage district and the lack of an adequate drainage law, under which to form the district. Enough data was secured for the area drained by McRae Branch to enable the drafting of plans and to serve as a basis for an estimate of cost. 1January, 1911. 71 't2 DRAINAGE RECLAMATION IN GEORGIA GEoGRAPHICAL LocATION AND AREA The McRae Branch is in the eastern part of Telfair County, two miles west of Lumber City. The Southern Railway crosses the county near its northeastern boundary and connects Lumber City with the Seaboard Air Line, via Helena. The shape of the watershed is roughly a rectangle with the corners cut off, and it contains about 2,400 acres. The upper end is at the Lumber City road and the outlet is into the Big Ocmulgee River. NATURAL DRAINAGE CHANNEI~S The Branch extends through the middle of the watershed with numerous bays and prongs extending out to either side. The bays in the flat areas connect with each other in many instances without the water passing into the main channel. This gives a number of possible arrangements for drainage channels which will be discussed under "Plan Proposed for Drainage Improvement." The size of the channel is variable. In places the water runs in a gully ten feet below the general surface of the country, and in others there is no channel at all. Some places were found where the channel had been built up higher than the land on the side. This was due to the choked condition of the stream, which caused the water to stand and deposit the sediment brought down from the higher cultivated land. The average fall in the channel is 0.5 feet per 100, so that if it were cleared out there would be little ditching required in the places where the bottom is far enough below the general surface. Where the stream has no deep water course it will be necessary to dig a ditch to sufficient depth to lower the ground water at least three feet in the farthermost corner reached by the lateral drains. Overflow conditions are serious most of the year except in the late fall and early winter. Practically the whole surface of the "flat woods" is wet. Over the greater part water stands from one to two feet in depth. There is generally a slight current, showing a flmv toward the Branch, though the course is often very roundabont. Good drainage channels would soon remove this R1nface water. .. McRAE BRANCH '" Figure 8 shmYs the head of the bay southwest of Judge Max 1. McRae's farm buildings. It has an elevation of 163.1 and is shown on the map. The bay is at the extreme left, its east edge being in the margin of the picture. The center of the picture shows a cotton field extending down to the "edge of flat woods" and at the right hand edge of the picture can be seen the main channel of McRae Branch. The thick timber is in the channel and the cut-off at the upper end of the main ditch runs throng-h the scattered timber seen beyond the field. The cleared areas are usually on ridges which slope down to bay~ or stream channels. The nearer the base of the ridg-e is approached the wetter the land becomes. The crests of the ridges are sometime8 broad enough for a fair size field, but most of the cultivated land is on hillsides which wash readily. There is no terracing practiceo. The river road is on a ridge for part of the distance shown on the map. The land adjacent to it is cultivated in some places. The cleared area at the head of McRae Branch which would not be benefited by proposed improvements is about 550 acres. Most of this is high land which is cultivated and the rest is stream channels which only need cleaning out in order to drain the seepy areas along them. There are less than 200 acres scattered in small plots in the neighborhood of the river road, which are cleared and high enough for cultivation. This would leave a remainder of 1,650 acres of "flat woods" which need better drainage channels. CROPS AND LAND vALUES The staple crop of this section is cotton, with an occasional field of corn. The cotton produces from one half to one 500-pound bale per acre and the corn from 13 to 30 bushels to the acre, depending upon the progressiveness of the farmer. Some oats and velvet beans are also grown. The gross value of the cotton crop is about $40 per acre, while the other crops are usually fed to the farm animals. The 74 DRAINAGE RECLAMATION IN GEORGIA "flat woods" land can be bought for from $1.00 to $4.00 per acre. High land that is dry enough to cultivate and that is cleared will bring $30 per acre. SorL The soil has been treated of in the report made by Mr. H. H. Bennett, of the Bureau of Soils, and only a brief description is given Lere. The soil has been named the Tifton sandy loam. The sand content is about 80 per cent., with about 60 per cent. in the subsoil. It is said that the mechanical make-np is ideal for the crops grown lmt that the vegetable content is too lo-w. This is ,cry important in connection \Yith drainage. The organic matter ~would cause the absorption by the soil of a greater proportion of the rainfall and \Yould hold the moistnre for the use of plants dnring dry spe11s. A traYerse line was run up the entire length of the main channel of J\IcRae Branch, compass and stadia being used, and levels were taken with the level on the telescope of the transit. Junction points \Vith bays, etc., were recorded, and ~where it was possible without the expenditure of too much time the length and direction of the branch channel \vere found. The traverse line \VU:O connected to the lot corners of the squares into which this part of the state is divided. This diYision of the land is very irregular in the section covered. .\n actual survey had recently been made of the land O\Yned by Judge :McRae and concrete corner posts had been set. Readings ~were taken on most of these posts and the lot lines extended to cover the rest of the area. The river road was extended toward the west by making nse of the new county map supplemented by pacing and a hand compass. The watershed lines were run in a similar manner. The mile posts are located as they were actually found and not as shown on the county map. The Ocmulgee River Lumber Company's tram railroad was located from the instrument traverse of the main channel and from the foot traverse of the west watershed line. The part of the line JlcRAE BRANCH near the middle of lot 230 was not located and is only shown on the map in order to connect the two parts actually surveyed. The road is only a temporary affair which will be removed as soon as the timber is exhausted. A trayerse line was rnn with the instrument across the lmYer edge of the cultivated land in order to connect the lot corners and also to get the e]evatiom of the hay heads, which \Yould giYe the fall in the stream channels. The party consisted of the engineer and a farm hand as rodman. when thC' instrument 1vas used. A rodman was not necessary for foot traversing with a hand compass. Bench-marks were set as per the list at the end of this report. These should be easily located on the ground and are accnrately located on the map. They start with the U. S. Army Engineers' bench at the river, which elevation 1vas assmned to he 100 feet. The others are all referred to this bench-mark. The survey was made during what \\as said to be the longest cold snap in the last fifteen years. This put a limit on the amount of data secured. The rodman was not nsed to \\orking in ice water, which made the work even harder. It was not desired to stake out the ditches, as the lumbering operations in progress would soon knock out the stakes. The location can easily be had from the following notes: The outlet is at the junction of the main channel and the bay from the east, 1,500 fret below the log railroad. The ditch passes 50 feet southwest of "B. M.-3" and about 100 feet northeast of lot corner 229-230-239-240. The point whose elmation is 153.1, at the head of the tangent, is marked by a hub. The cut-off starts 120 feet west of lot corner 228-229-240-241 and discharges into the oitch at tlH' head of the tangent. The above will aid in the loration survey at the time of construction. when grade stakes should be set in order to get accurate dredging. PLtX Prwrosrm FOR DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENT The object of constructing a drainage system is to make the lands under consideration diT enm1gh for cultiYation. 'l'his is done by lower- 76 DRAINAGE RECLAMATION IN GEORGIA ing the water table from the surface, where it now stands, to a depth suitable for plant gTowth; i. e., about two or three feet. In order to secure a wider possible spacing of lateral ditches they should be four :feet dtep. It is proposed to start the main ditch a little to the west of the center of lot 238. From this point to the river the branch has a well defined channel with a good fall. The only improvement required would be to clean out the brush and trees which prevent the free passage of water. The bottom of the ditch will be at the surface of the ground at the outlet and should be six feet deep at the junction of the East Branch. This depth will insure the drainage of the low ponds and the farthest corners reached by the lateral system. The track of the Ocmulgee River Lumber Company's lumber road is several feet above the general surface of the ground at the point where it crosses the proposed ditch, so that a culvert with its bottom at least seven feet below the top of the rails should be built. The exact elevation of the bottom can be had at the time of construction and should be such as will allow a true grade from the junction of the East Branch with the main ditch, to the outlet of the main ditch. This culvert should be large enough to take the heaviest storm without backing up the water; otherwise the crops on the flat fields would be drowned out. The main ditch continues straight on from the junction with the East Branch for a distance of 3,470 feet, making a total length of 5,680 feet for the straight part of the channel. From the railroad to the end of the tangent there is no channel worth considering. From the railroad to the outlet the channel is well defined but is crooked and full of trees. The location as shown on the map will eliminate the crooks, do away with costly grubbing, and put the ditch on land which has practically the same elevation as the channel. The elevation of the junction of the two ditches above the railroad was not founcl clnring the survey. The lancl is so flat that an assumption of the elevation cannot be very far wrong. The value given in the table of data is believed to be within 0.3 of a foot of the actual elevation. The olcl channel, 600 feet northeast of / / y \LLEY, TELFAIR COUNTY .. McRAE BRANCH II the junction, is one foot lower than the junction, but a depth of six feet at the latter will provide a sufficient depth where the old channel is crossed by the East Branch near the center of lot 239. At the end of the long tangent the main ditch turns toward the right and extends for 1,620 feet further, making a total length of 7,300 feet. This section of ditch is a cut-off across a bend in the channel. It connects a string of ponds which are below the level of the channel. Much less excavation will be required in this location and very little clearing off of timber will be necessary. The old channel is very thickly overgrown with timber and underbrush at this point. The East Branch is shown extending over to lot 276. It is more than probable that complete data along the northeast water-shed line would show that the East Branch could be extended to reclaim land which now drains to the east into Gum Swamp. There should be at least two lateral ditches about 1,000 feet apart. extending about northwest from the East Branch. These should be a~ straight as the land permits in that they should follow along the natural channels and low places except where this location would make umlesirable crooks in the ditches. There was no exact data obtainable for the area west of the channel. The gulley, which is about 1,000 feet north of the river road, furnishe~ fair drainage for the land on either side. It is deep enough to serve as an outlet for small ditches of tile drains. If the upper end were cleared out it would serve as an outlet for a large ditch running near the lot line between Nos. 192 and 231. The length of this ditch would depend on the possibility of draining the land near the railroad. Observations made when the channel traverse and the water-shed lines were run would indicate that this location is possible and that on this line, with another ditch having a northwesterly direction up the middle of lot 230, would afford good drainage for this section. The land north of the railroad and west of the ditch can be treated in several ways. The one plan easiest to handle would be to deepen the natural channel which diverges slightly from the railroad and starts 18 DRAIXAGE RECLAMATION IN GEORGIA about 700 feet above the junction of the two rl itches shown on the map. It should extend almost to the water-shed line, as it will act as an interceptillg drain to remove the water that would seep out on to the land below. It would be well in this connection to throw the earth excavated on the down-hill sicle of the ditch. where it would act as a levee. A ditch along the edge of the flat woods is necessary in order to take off the walcr which comes down from the higher, cultivated lands. The rlrainagc of the lanrl hetween this last ditch and the one north of the railroad is a problem which can only be worked out after much con;;ideration of more data than \Yas at hand when this report was written. . There are several ridges in this area which conl(l be cnltivated after the two mentioned ditches are dug. The land between these ridges wi11 neecl small ditches before it can he profitably worked. This area west of the channel will he the last to be improved, so that it did not receive ns much attention as the better located areas. Before any work is clone it w011ld he well to investigate the possibilities of a r1itch along the southwest side of lots 229 and 230, possibly exteniling into lot 231 and clischarging into the stream shown on the map. A drainage coefficient of three fourths of an inch of water to be removed from the water-shed in 24 hours will give 30 square feet for the required cross-section of the main channel. As depth is the controlling factor in this ca,::e the carrying capacity of the ditch will be ample. The method of construction will determine the size of the channel. The depth should be six fert for the greater part of the main ditch. Sirle slopes no steeper than one horizontal to one vertical should be 11sed. The minimum width of bottom that can be constructed by farm labor i.e: two feet, which makes a top width of 14 feet. This gives a cross-section nf 48 square feet and 1~'7 yards of excavation per 100 feet of ditch. At ?5 cents per yard this 1rould give a cost af $44.25 per 100 feet. If a small dipper dredge could be found with which to do the work it might be possible to lower the cost of hanil labor. The cost of moving the machine from one joh to another is RO great that the w1w1e area .. 1lJcRA.E BRANCH 79 draining into l\fcRae Branch should be ditched at one time if a dredge is to be used. Even then it is doubtful if the work could be rlone much cheaper than by hand labor. The ordinary size dredge constructs a minimum ditch with a bottom width of 16 feet and a top width of 22 feet with side slopes of one-half to one with a depth of six feet. This minimum ditch has a cross-section of 114 square feet and requires 423 cubic yards of excavation per 100 feet of ditch. This minimum ditch would take up considerable land and would be harder to keep clean. The water flowing in it woulll have a much smaller velocity and wonln drop sediment in the ditch. A dredge could do the work for 10 cents per cubic yard, making the cost $42.30 per 100 feet. Hand work at 25 cents will be u~ed in the estimate of cost, although the work should be done for less. Scrapers can be used for the first few feet of cut, but as soon as the footing gets difficult it will be impossible to use mules to pull the scrapers. There are few horses in the county. The digging of small ditches by dynamite has recently been tried with good success, so it is quite possible this might prove a cheap and effective method in this case. As the lumber company is taking ont the large timber the clearing problem will be very simple. Work can be carried on at any season, except possibly November and December, when the water may not collect in sufficient quantities to float a dredge. If the work is done by hand winter is the best time, as there will be less water. The soil will ilig readil_1' at an.r ~cason. There are neighborhood roads into Lumber City all along the line. of work. Shipments are made np the lumber railroad at $5.00 per car. The track is standard gage. BEXEFIOUL RESULTS The proposed ditches will reclaim abont 1,650 acres of land which i~ now practically useless except for scant pasturage. The land is rich in humus and gives even inilication of producing abundant crops. Mosquitoes are a pest anil come principally from these flat woods. Oases of malaria are verv common. The rlrainage of this area nnder considera- 80 DRAINAGE RECLAMATION IN GEORGIA tion would not only make available a large tract of land for farming, but would also make the neighborhood far more healthful. Main Ditch: ESTIMATE OF UOST 1,620 ft., below railroad, 74 cu. yds. per 100 feet, at 25c per yd ... . $ 300 4,{)60 ft., average of 177 cu. yds. per 100 feet, at 25c. per cu. yd ... . 1,797 1,620 ft., above turn, average 129 cu. yds. per 100 ft., at 25c. per yd. 522 East Branch: 2,780 ft., average 150 cu. yds. per 100 ft., at 25c. per cu. yd ..... . 1,042 Total work shown on map ................................. . $3,661 Extensions to west: 2 miles ditch at $2,300 per mile ................................ . 4,600 Laterals to East Branch: 6,500 ft., averaging 1{)0 cu. yds. per 1{)0 ft., at 25c. per cu. yd ..... . 1,625 Total ...................................................... $9,886 Average cost per acre, $6.00, for the 1,650 acres of "flat woods" to be benefited, to which about 10 per cent. should be added for engineering during construction. The unit prices arc believed to be ample and the work should fall within the estimated cost. Similar scraper work in another section of the country cost 15 cents. It would be well to advertise for bids in contractors' journals as well as newspapers. Lower cost is usually had b\ doing the work privately, without recourse to law. This is possible if each property-owner will willingly pay his share of the cost. DATA FOR MAIN DITCH Sts. Feet ELEVATIONS Ground Bottom Ditch Cut Grade, ft. per 100 REMARKS 0 620 1,620 ~.210 3,096 5,680 7,300 128.5 130.5 135.4 188 0 139.8 1531 163.7 128,6 0 129.8 1.2 131.1 4.3 132.0 6.0 135.8 4 0 147.1 6.0 169 7 4.0 * This indicates a break in the grade. *O.lli8 Gr. of outlet channel 0 44% B. M.-3 *0.485 Junction with East Branch *0,778 Turn toward right In bay IJII . If .\.l(;f'; 11/W /,. IJJ . I 'I' /US IX UEOIIU/ . 1 /'/ ,. 1'/" /.; 1" / - /' / G . I FlU . 2 TJ:; Lb' A IR OlJ :\TY. GEO IWL \ . BHAC\' C U ,\T J.;XT H J; )J F: RT G liT. OC ~Irf. C:EP. \"ALL EJY T:-< P.A K G HOlT'ID f'I [OTO<: Jl .\ PII BY ,J. It . 11 .\."\\"E LL. l !l ll F J G. :!.- .\ll ' LBERit:l RTVJW l10 I:D E J1T:\ r. TrJB .\ . :-1 . )JJTU l'A B.\I . .J.\ K SO:\ COl' :\'JT . OEO B fi l.\ . :0:11 0 \\'1:\(; :\ .\IU1 0 \\" ST IC\I C II T SE ('TlOC\ OF T i lE .'T HE,U[ l 'llOTOI;R .\l'll J~Y ('. (;_ ELLI OT T. 1!10~ ... McRAE BRAXGH 81 No. EleT. 1 100.00 2 107.14 3 135.37 4 167.15 5 225.74 LIST OF BENCH MARKS DESCRIPTION. Between branch and landing, 185 feet north of bank ot Ocmulgee River, 272-foot black oak standing alone, one foot up S. E. side of tree; railroad spike with lip pointing up. There is a large X mark cut four feet above the ground on the same side of the tree. This mark was set by the Army Engineers in the survey of the Altamaha River system, and is known as No. 14, McRae's Landing. It has an elevation of - feet above sea level. North side of River Road, east bank of McRae Branch, three feet north of foot log; one-foot black gum tree blazed on east side, cut in root on east side. Lumber railroad, at crossing of branch, 10 feet south of center line of track at curve; 18-inch cypress tree with notch in root on southeast side. Stone corner between lots 228, 229, 240, 241, southwest of farm 1,000 feet below ford. On top of post. North side of Lumber City Road, about midway between J. C. buildings of Max L. McRae, east of McRae Branch, about Pittman's residence and the McRae farm lane, in front or new cottage, most westerly tree of row along road; onefoot black jack oak, spike in west side of tree near ground. .. Drainage Plan for the Berry School Farm, Near Rome, Floyd County 1 BY L. L. HIDIKGER Assistant Drainage Engineer U. S. Department of Agriwltu1'c lNTRODUCTIOX 'l'he Berry School, located one and one-half miles from the city of Rome, was founded by Miss Martha Berry for the purpose of instructing the boys of the mountain districts in the conduct of farm and other related work, so that when they return to their homes their influence will be exerted in the betterment of the poorer class of agricultural people. The school was started in a cottage and in six years has grown until now there are several dormitories, a large recitation hall, farm buildings and shops, and a domain of about one thousand acres of land. There are about 175 boys in the school, ranging in age between fourteen and twenty-five years. All are required to work two hours each day, thelr labor being so systematized that the entire domestic and farm work is performed by the boys of the school under the supervision of foremen who have charge of the several departments. During the year Miss Berry, the founder and manager of the school, had conferred with the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture and with others in the same Department, regarding the work which is being done by the school and the need of advice and plans for the underdrainage of the farm. In accordance with Miss Berry's request, a preliminary examination was made November 4, and the survey was starte<1 November 9, 1908, for the purpose of locating and designing und!:'rdrains for the wet lands of the school. 'Survey made 1908. S3 84 DRAINAGE RECLAMATION IN GEORGIA DRAINAGE The Berry School Farm is located in what was originally termed the "Flat Woods." Its surface is a series of undulating slopes which were at one time a level plain, but which are now creased by a small valley with its drainage channel known as Dry Creek, and a number of swales or draws which form the natural water courses for the drainage of this and surrounding farms. The slopes of most of the land are not what could be termed steep, but the soil is so finely divided and of such a texture that gullies are of frequent occurrence where the water is allowed to concentrate and follow a low place for a considerable length of time. Where the water is compelled to spread over a broad surface, the ground is seldom injured. There are, however, some recently acquired fields at the back of the farm which are somewhat steep and whose slopes are depleted of fertility and gashed by gullies, due to a lack of judicious farming. The parts of the farm needing drainage are the valley and swales, together with a few seepy places. These are naturally divided into four separate systems, and are listed accordingly. The soil in the wet parts of the farm is naturally the most productive since it is built up of the lighter, more fertile particles that wash from the surrounding slopes. It is a dull gray, finely divided, closely compacted clay through which the water moves quite slowly. The underlying strata are yellow clay, gravel and limestone. In the low places "limestone sinks," that lead to underground passages 'for the water, are of frequent occurrence. In some instances these sinks are the only natural outlets from basins that would otherwise fill with water. Some of them will, as far as known, dispose of all the water that gets to them, and should in no instance be filled up with foreign matter. SURVEYS Dry Creek was meandered and the meander line used as a base for the locations of all drains and fields. From Station 0 on the .Dry Creek meander, a line was run up a swale to the front field where the tile of System No. 1 empties, and from there on up, the lengths of all lines of FLOYD COUNTY 85 tile were carefully measured and angles and magnetic bearings read, and such other field notes were taken as seemed necessary. Systems Nos. 2 and 3 were likewise carefully outlined and connected to the Dry Creek meander line. The swale between the point of discharge of System No. 3 and the creek was meandered. All three of these drainage systems were located for immediate work; stakes were set every 100 feet on the line, at each change in direction of the line, and at all junction points. System No. 4 was carefully outlined, with distances and angles measured, but only a few permanent stakes were set. Levels were run over all tile lines, taking elevations every 100 feet. On the first three systems, elevations were taken to hundredths of a foot on top of the stakes, but on No. 4 all elevations were taken on the ground to tenths of a foot. Elevations were also obtained at frequent intervals over the entire farm and along Dry Creek. All levels were run with a standard size Gurley transit, but were checked so frequently that an error of any consequence was impossible. Bench-marks were left at convenient points over the farm, all elevations being referred to an assumed datum. (See appended list.) PLANS FOR IMPROVEMENT The plans include a map and two profile sheets. The map shows all lines of tile with distances and sizes recorded for each line and branch line, the boundaries of fields, the location of roads and buildings, and the elevation of the ground at numerous points. The profiles show the ~rrades, size of tile, depth of all lines of tile and the location of catch basin!!. It will not be profitable to try to prevent the overflow of Dry Creek, Rince the lands adjacent are used for pasture and are not injured by a slight overflow, and also since the expense of deepening it would be prohibitive owing to the frequent occurrence of ledges of limestone that lie near the surface of the ground and appear to extend across the valley. Drainage System No. 1, composed entirely of tile, lies in the front field and crosses the drive from the Summerville Road to the school buildings. Its outlet is in a swale at the edge of the timber, about 500 86 DRAINAGE RECLAMATION lN GEORGIA feet south of Recitation Hall. System No. 2, composed of an open ditch and line3 of tile, lies between the dairy barn, Glenwood, and the hospital. The open ditch extends through the timber to the outlet of System So. 3, which lies between the Ridmond Gap Road, the Summerville Road, and the athletic field. System No. 4 lies in the back field, known as the Gammon Farm, and is composed entirely- of tile. One of the mains empties into Dry Creek and the other into a large "limestone sink," which has never been known to fill up with water. This tile will not be laid for some time, a:: IX r:D ..J .0.. "' ~I~ }., >E ~ ~ ~:o~~~~~~ 0 c ~! 0 ~.J I ' :::::: 0 ~ I l:: "'"'7~'*1:1 ~~~-:/N.'1 .. ~. ----------------_j MULBEJUlY lt!VHU The top and bottom widths, and the elevations of the bottom of the channel an1l of low water were obtained at each 200-foot stake, and the highwater elevations were taken wherever reliable marks could be found. REsui~Ts OF TIIE SuRVEY The river channel is abont 40 feet wide and from four to six feet deep do\\'11 to the :Fish Trap Shoals, and lwlow this point j,_ ahn11t !'JO or GO fed witle aml eight to ten feet dePp. 'I'ltrougltont its entire length then~ i~ a dPJH>~it. of ~HtHl in ilte lJOii:om of ihe cltannel from thn'e to eight fePI rlcep. At the Fish 'l'rap Rhor!ls a solifl slwct of Toek extenrls across tlw channel at a depth of four and a half feet below the bed of the stream and 11 feet below the banks, ana from station 444 to the end of the survey rock was frequently encountered within one or two feet of the bottom of the channel. At station 462, where the survey was rliscontinued, there was a velocity sufficient to sweep all the sand off this rock and carry it over the rapids. The largest tributaries to the river in this section are Cooper's Mill Creek, entering near station 49-f-50; Cronic Creek, entering near sta tion 217+50, a creek without a name entering above station 331 from the northeast; Tugle's lVIill Creek, entering near station 150-f-25, and Little Mulberry River, entering at station 409 from the west. Aside from these there are numerous small branches ana sloughs entering the tnn,:t of the tributaries below Cronic CTcek cross the bottoms with a flat river on hoth sines. With the exception of the Little Mulberry RiveT, grade ana low wlocitv, and most of the sand is deposited before it reaches the river. Cronic Crt>ek and nearly all the trihutarics above deliver sanmbankm<>nts and erect tide gates and pumping plants for the pnrpose of draining and reclaiming wet, swamp or overflowed lands; and it is hereby declared that the drainage of swamps and the drainage of the surface water from agricultural lands and the reclamation of tidal marshes shall be eonsicler:ecl a public benefit and conduciYe to the public health, convenience, utility and \Yelfare. 1'l'his drainage bill wns prepared by the Legislative Committee of the Georgia Drainage Congress. 99 100 DRAINAGE RECLAMATION IN GEORGIA .. SEc. 2. Whenever a petition signed by a majority of the resi- clent landowners in a proposed drainage district or by the owners of three-fifths of all the land which shall be affected by or assessed for the expense of the proposed improvements shall be filed in the office of tho Clerk of the Snperior Conrt of any Connty in which a part of Haid lauds arc locate