Category: 12 Months of Alabama Rivers

The Cahaba River is perhaps the most famous major river in Alabama. The Cahaba’s main stem is 190 miles long and remains the longest free-flowing river remaining in Alabama. This absence of hydrological modifications along the main stem has aided in maintaining the unique aquatic biodiversity of the Cahaba. With that said, the Cahaba Basin also is unique in the number of aquatic species that are imperiled or declining in number.

When describing the Cahaba, it is easy to separate two distinct personalities of this River (the Upper and Lower) separated by the Fall Line, a geographic feature that divides Alabama into two distinct physical regions, the uplands and the lowlands. The Fall Line is considered the most significant physical feature in Alabama affecting the distribution of plants and animals and also represents the zone of contact between the hard rocks of the Appalachians and the softer sediments of the Coastal Plain.

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The Black Warrior River Basin is the largest watershed wholly within Alabama’s state boundaries. The river’s principal forks, the Sipsey, Mulberry, and Locust, begin in North Alabama and converge to form the Black Warrior to the west of Birmingham at the Jefferson County, Walker County line. 

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The Alabama River is considered the heart river of the state. The Alabama is the state’s longest river, flowing for 315 miles and draining 11% of the state in 18 counties. The Alabama River is formed by the confluence of the Coosa and Tallapoosa Rivers just north of Montgomery. The mighty river begins at the Fall Line, an imaginary line demarcating the area of Alabama’s ancient coastline. The Alabama River serves as the unifier of Alabama’s Eastern Rivers, the Coosa and Tallapoosa and her western rivers, the Cahaba, Black Warrior and Tombigbee.

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