About Alabama’s Rivers

  • Alabama has more than 132,000 miles of rivers and stream channels
  • Alabama ranks #1 in the whole country for freshwater crayfish, fish, snail, turtle and mussel species.
  • 10% of the freshwater resources in the continental US flows through or originates in Alabama
  • Alabama has 3,627,600 acres of wetland and 563,000 acres of ponds, lakes, and reservoirs.
  • 33.5 trillion gallons of water are withdrawn annually from streams, rivers, and reservoirs to supply drinking water to 56% of the population in Alabama.
  • The Southeastern United States has the world’s greatest diversity of temperate freshwater fishes. Alabama has 312 freshwater species of fish, 20+ of which are endemic to Alabama.
  • There are more species of fish in the Cahaba River alone than in the entire state of California!
  • Consider the economic value of clean waters. The Alabama Fisheries Association estimates that Alabama’s water-based recreation industry brings more than $1 billion per year into the state’s economy.

The AWWesome America’s Amazon poster and infographic was created and is updated by Alabama Water Watch, a program of the Auburn University Water Resources Center. Read more, download a free digital version of the poster or get added to the waiting list for a printed copy of the poster by clicking here.

OTHER RESOURCES

America’s Amazon: A Journey into Wild Alabama by Ben Raines for al.com

Why Alabama’s Rivers are America’s Amazon by Pat Byington for BhamNow

WATCH: America’s Amazon: The Mobile Tensaw Delta on APT

READ: Alabama’s Rivers: A Celebration & Challenge by Dr. William G. Deutsch

READ: Southern Wonder: Alabama’s Surprising Biodiversity by Dr. R. Scot Duncan

READ: Creeks to Coast: Restoring the Rivers at the Heart of America’s Freshwater Biodiversity by Dr. R. Scot Duncan