Spring inventory of Tombigbee National Forest, Ackerman Unit, Mississippi

There are currently 155 National Forests in the United States with an estimated 42 million acres of municipal watersheds. Over 3400 municipal watersheds serve more than 60 million people. The Tombigbee National Forest, Ackerman Unit is one of seven National Forests located in Mississippi. A detailed spring inventory has been performed within this forest in order to assess the quality and quantity of the resource. A total of 45 springs and 32 seeps were located within the study area. Field chemical analysis was performed on twenty springs, four of which also had laboratory chemical analyses performed. Methodology of the inventory included the use of a global positioning satellite (GPS) system, a YSI Environmental probe, and a geographical information system (GIS) database, ArcViewRTM 3.0 a/b, to compare the location of the seeps and springs to the geology and soil associations found within the study area.;Results of the analyses showed that, while many residents prefer the taste of the spring water to their own rural water association water, the pH and iron levels were not within the recommended maximum safety levels for drinking water set by the EPA.