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Room 203 In Federal Building Holds Mystery For Cullmanites But Purpose Of Office Is Vital Part Of Conserving ResourcesRoom 203 tn the* rmw Mural Hu tiding i ■ occupied by nlnu per-suns, and many ( ul I man lies are m»t aw,nlt;* of its existence nor of its function. The Cullman Sub-district Office of the Geological Sui v«y, W it**i ......,i mvi-siun, is situated in this building.Exactly what goes c these walls? What differjoeit make to inhabitants in this county whether or not these pet tottnel t onttnue theli wot k t According to Jw It. Harkins, hydiologl ! in «h.iige at tin Cullman Subdistrict Office, the main function of this division is to measure and appraise the water resources in this area, Work handled through this office is related to economic development programs and involves problems of streams, lakes andgr* ter in the area. Workers des-Tuscaloosa erlbe the water situation in the three br area, potential for development of water supplies and uses of available waterThis division works with sur-!ground wutuStaff Members Unite In Work'these men are working hard on a problem concerning water resources in this area. Pictu-red from left to right are: Wiley F. Harris, Joe R. Harkins (seated), Joe R. Wilmon, and Robert Faust. Photo by Barbara Gootee.Williams ReportsAs AgronomistAUBURN, Ala . — Lewis D Williams recently reported for duty as Conservation Agronomist for Alabama, according to W. B. iAngle, State Conservationist. Williams will assist Soil Conservation Service Technicians throughout the State on agronomic work that pertains to soil and water conservation. He will be headquartered at the State Office of the Soil Conservation Service at Auburn,W illiam i , a native of 'I enn-essee. He received his B.X. in Agronomy from Hie University of Tennessee in 1951.Williams is a native of Tennessee. He received his B.X. in Agronomy from the University of Tennessee in 1951, Williams worked as a Soil Scientist with the Tennessee Agricultural Experiment Station from 1951 to 1953. He has worked with the Soil Conservation Ser-.1 -it Scientist, Conservation Agronomist, and Soil Conservationist in a number of locations in Tennessee. He is married and the father of three children.quality of water. Previous to 1904, the division, which has its main district office located In divided into with each branch dealing with each type moinle of water separately. Sinew that time, however, they have been for economical and and practical purposes. This com-|bination provides for an overall view of water resources in any area.Surface water work determines the flow of water in the streams, studies and measures floods, records lake levels, l and many aspects of hydrology| related to surface water.I Ground-water studies includej the location and description ofI water-bearing rocks and deter-■ rn mat ion of the yield and qualityI of ground water.Work dealing with the quality I of water includes sampling andf analysis of water and lnterpre-1tation of the significance of chemical and physical quality of ground and surface waters and sediment carried by streams.The state is divided into two geographical areas for convenience. The Cullman Subdistrict Office covers the northern portion of the state ami also includes Tuscaloosa and Pickens Counties. Members of the Cullman office are: Joe R. Harkins, hydro-logist in charge; Robert J. Faust, geologist; Paul W. Cole, hydraulic engineering-technician; Joe R. Wilmon, hydraulic engineer; Wiley F. Harris, physical science technician; Tommy R. Duvall, hydraulic engineering technician; Doug D. Bate mi in, hydraulic engineering aide; Jonathan D. Hayes, hydraulic engineering aide; and Mrs. J.G. McHenry, hydraulic engineering aide. Each person has a specific job and is well trained and extremely knowledgeable in his field.This typo of work falls the jurisdiction of civil service and is subject to the rules and regulation of civil service.Many different operations am, skills art involved in water investigation. in the appraisal of underground water supplies,geologists determine the character ami extent of the rock formation in which water occurs. Engineers measure and study sir earn flow, floods ami changes iteam channel#, lt;analyze the water to determine its chemical quality and suitability for particular uses.The geological survey presently operating 45 gaging stations in this aioa, 35observation wells and 24 partial record stations. The stage (level) and discharge (flow) of rivers and streams is recorded at the gag* ing stations, which are divided into two groups; primary and secondary stations.Sampling of trends in the gross surface-water supply is done at primary stations, a long-term network. One such station is located at the county line Garden City. This type of gaging station has been operated continuously for many years on a stream relatively free of regulation, diversion or other effects of development. Records at these sites furnish a long-t ount of floods, droughts, and other hydrolie events needed to define variations of stream flow caused by natural differences in from year to year.Geographic variations are def-ned at secondary stations, each operated for about five to ten years and correlated with one or m re primary stations. Secondary stations are periodically discontinued and new ones established in order to obtain as wide a distribution of geographic samples of water as possible.Testing The Chemical Quality Of WaterThe Survey also maintains partial-record sites at which stageand discharge records are collected at Intervals to provide addlt-I information on floods and droughts.Observation wells are also maintained to monitor changes in ground-water conditions. At these wells measurements of depth to water and samples of water are collected continuously or periodically In order to assess changes in ground-water conditions produced eithernatural causes or by man’s development of the water. Cullman houses one of these wells.Generally the work done by this division d**ex not interest the ave-i age m in directly, i he majof parts of the program of work arc carried out cooperatively with the following state and municipal agencies; Geological Survey of Alabama, State Highway Department, State Water Improvement Commission, State Conservation Department and the City of Mobile.Additional water resources work is done in collaboration with the following Federal agencies: U.S. Army, Corp of Engineers, U.S. Public Health Service, Tennessee Valley Authority and the F ederal Power Com m iss ion (A la-bama Power Co.).Surface water records are used by consulting engineering firms for the purpose of designing water supplies. However, the water resources division does handle requests for people who are trying to develop ground-water supplies. Mr. Fast, geologist at the Cullman office, said that the division worked with Holly Pond in 19C3 in helping that city locate a ground-water supply.He added that the division has just completed a study of the water resources ofCulimanCounty. This two year report included mapping geology, which is a study of rocks, distinguishing between those which will hold water and yield it to wells,awKhose which won’t yield water. Also included in the study is a survey of ground-water, which shows how much water is available, where it can be obtained and the quality of the water.The nine workers located in Room 203 of the new Federal Building are among many thousands of such workers located across the county. They are doing a job vital in solving basic problems in hydrology, geology, geochemistry, and geophysics, and in developing new techniques and methods of appraising and conserving minerals and water. As a Federal agency concerned with water, the Survey’s role is unique; it provides the main bulk of data on which practically all development and management acitivites related to water are based.Water is one of the vital ingredients necessary for life. The work being done by the personnel in this relatively unknown office in the Federal Building is helping put local water resources to their best usage. Maintenance and expansion of such offices are the foundation of intelligent planning for water resources development and conservation.
Newspaper Details
Cullman Times Democrat
Cullman, Alabama, US
Sun, Feb 26, 1967
Page 7
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 31 May 2024
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