Map provided by: Donn Rodekohr, Auburn University, Department of Agronomy and Soils

Mission Statement: To identify issues, explore solutions, and make recommendations for the management and stewardship of the Cahaba River basin while maintaining the balance between protecting the environment and promoting the economy.

Watershed at a Glance 

• Third largest tributary to the Alabama River
• Drains to the greater Mobile River Basin
• Extends for 191 miles from St. Clair County through the Birmingham metropolitan area to its confluence with the Alabama River southwest of Selma
• The drainage area lies entirely within the state of Alabama, and encompasses approximately 1,818 square miles (1,163,574 acres)
• Includes portions of eight Alabama counties 
• Major land uses: forestry, urban, agriculture/pasture
• The Cahaba River is noted by the World Wildlife Fund and the Nature Conservancy as being one of only eight Hotspots of Biodiversity in the world
• The Cahaba River has more fish species per mile than any other river of its size in North America, with 69 rare and imperiled species
• The longest free-flowing river in Alabama
• Major Impoundments – none on the mainstem, Lake Purdy on the Little Cahaba south of Birmingham
• The Black Warrior Watershed and Cahaba Watersheds are the only drainages contained completely within the State of Alabama.