ACT River Basin facts for kids
The Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa River Basin (often called the ACT River Basin) is a huge area of land where all the rain and water eventually flow into the same main rivers. Think of it like a giant funnel! This special area is located in the Southeastern United States. It's officially recognized as a specific region by the USGS, which uses a special system to map out all the water systems.
What is a River Basin?
A river basin, also known as a drainage basin or watershed, is simply an area of land where all the water that falls as rain or snow drains into a common river, lake, or ocean. Imagine a big bathtub: the edges of the tub are like the high points of the land, and all the water inside the tub flows towards the drain, which is like the main river. The ACT River Basin collects water from many smaller rivers and streams, all flowing towards the Gulf of Mexico.
Main Parts of the ACT Basin
The ACT River Basin is so big that scientists have divided it into two main sections. These sections help us understand how water moves through the entire system. The two main parts are:
- The Coosa-Tallapoosa basin
- The Alabama basin
These two large basins then have even smaller parts within them.
Smaller Rivers and Streams
Each of the two main basins is made up of many smaller rivers and streams. These smaller parts are called sub-basins. They are like the "branches" of a tree, where each branch collects water before it joins a bigger branch, and eventually the main trunk.
Here are some of the important sub-basins in the Coosa-Tallapoosa area:
- Conasauga sub-basin
- Coosawattee sub-basin
- Oostanaula sub-basin
- Etowah sub-basin
- Upper Coosa sub-basin
- Middle Coosa sub-basin
- Lower Coosa sub-basin
- Upper Tallapoosa sub-basin
- Middle Tallapoosa sub-basin
- Lower Tallapoosa sub-basin
And here are some of the sub-basins that make up the Alabama River basin:
- Upper Alabama sub-basin
- Cahaba sub-basin
- Middle Alabama sub-basin
- Lower Alabama sub-basin
All these rivers and streams work together to form the large and important ACT River Basin.
See Also
