Cahaba River

The Cahaba River is the longest free-flowing river in Alabama and is among the most scenic and biologically diverse rivers in the United States. The Cahaba River is a major tributary of the Alabama River and part of the larger Mobile River basin. With headwaters near Birmingham, the Cahaba meanders to the southwest, then at Heiberger turns southeast and joins the Alabama River at the ghost town and former Alabama capital of Cahaba in Dallas County. Contained entirely within central Alabama, the Cahaba River is 194 miles (312 km) long and drains an area of 1,870 square miles (4,800 km²).

Geography

The Cahaba River is contained in three physiographic provinces of the state: Coastal Plain, Ridge and Valley, and Appalachian Plateau. The Mobile River basin has the largest Gulf Coast drainage basin east of the Mississippi River, and the Cahaba is one of the seven river systems that contributes to its flow. The mean discharge of water as an average from 1938-2000 is about 80 m³/s. The average rainfall is 138 cm/yr. The terrestrial biome of the river is classified as Eastern Deciduous Forest.