This Water Resource Inventory and Assessment (WRIA) report for Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge describes current hydrologic information, provides an assessment of water resource needs and issues of concern, and makes recommendations regarding Refuge water resources. This report addresses water quality and quantity for both surface water and groundwater resources. It summarizes available information relevant to refuge water resources, provides an assessment of refuge water resource needs and issues of concern, and makes recommendations to address the identified water resources needs and concerns. Major topics addressed in this report include the natural setting of the refuge (topography, climate, geology, soils, hydrology), impacts of development and climate change, significant water resources and associated infrastructure within the refuge, past and current water monitoring activities on and near the refuge, water quality information, and state water use regulatory framework. Information was compiled from publicly available reports, databases, and geospatial datasets from federal, state, and local agencies; published research reports; websites maintained by government agencies, academic institutions, and non-governmental organizations; and from files and Geographic Information System (GIS) data layers maintained by the refuge. For the purposes of this assessment, the area considered (the Region of Hydrologic Influence or RHI) was defined as the upper portion of the Cahaba River subbasin (HUC 03150202) that includes four watersheds (Headwaters Cahaba River [0315020201], Buck Creek-Cahaba River [0315020202], Shades Creek [0315020203], and Little Cahaba River [0315020204]). These geographic delineations are based on the National Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD).
