GROUND WATER IN NORTH-CENTRAL TENNESSEE

158 GROUND WATER IN NORTH-CENTRAL TENNESSEE
Claxton Branch of Blue Creek, which heads about 2 miles south of Waverly,
is fed by a group of tubular springs that issue from earthy cherty limestone beds,
probably in the Fort Payne formation. The largest of these springs (No. 175,
pp. 161-162) was flowing about 20 gallons a minute on July 19, 1927, whereas the
total flow of this spring-fed creek was about 100 gallons a minute just above its con­
fluence with Blue Creek, about 2% miles south of the town. The seasonal varia­
tion of these springs is unknown. Although Claxton Branch is probably an
adequate source for the present requirements of the town, it may prove inadequate
for future requirements unless supplemented by the springs on Mathews Branch,
about 2 miles southwest of Waverly. Mathews Branch of Blue Creek rises as
a seepage spring (No. 174), issuing from coarse chert hill wash overlying the Fort
Payne (?) formation. The catchment area tributary to the spring is about 200
acres, most of which is covered with hardwood timber. The discharge of the
spring on July 19, 1927, was about 100 gallons a minute. The orifice was unim­
proved, and the seasonal variation in discharge is unknown. Periodic measure­
ments of the discharge of both Claxton and Mathews Branches should be made,
in order to determine their seasonal variation, before plans for their utilization
are drawn. To develop these spring-fed streams it would be necessary to install
suitable diversion works, pipe lines, and pumps to raise the water about 200 feet
above the springs to the crest of the ridge south of Waverly. The cost of such
a system would exceed that of a well field in the vicinity of the town, especially
if neither stream were adequate of itself.
Carnell Spring (No. 62) is a tubular spring that issues from the St. Louis lime­
stone in the south bank of Little Richland Creek about 2}4 miles north of Waverly.
The discharge from the main orifice on July 19, 1927, was about 1.5 cubic feet a
second (675 gallons a minute, or 975,000 gallons a day); on September 18, when
the ground-water discharge of the region was approximately at the minimum for
the season, the spring discharge was about 1.1 cubic feet a second (500 gallons a
minute, or 700,000 gallons a day). Several smaller openings in a zone extending
200 yards up the creek above the main orifice add considerably to the aggregate
discharge. The discharge from the main orifice alone is probably adequate for
any prospective requirement of the town, although periodic measurements of the
discharge should be made over a term of several years to establish its variability.
It is reported by Wade Work, owner of the spring, that when the creek is at its
highest stage the main orifice is not submerged, although the water issuing from
it is slightly turbid due to suspended matter. If Carnell Spring should be devel­
oped for municipal supply, suitable cut-off walls should be put down to bedrock
about the orifice in order to prevent seepage of surface waste into the spring, and
the orifice itself should be thoroughly cleaned and inclosed. A suitable pipe line
and pumps for raising the water about 200 feet above the spring to the crest of
the ridge north of Waverly should also be installed. Carnell Spring is half a mile
farther from Waverly than the springs on Claxton and Mathews Branches of
Blue Creek, but the heads against which water would have to be raised are approx­
imately the same for these two potential sources. Hence, the development of
Carnell Spring would be somewhat more costly than that of Claxton Branch or
Mathews Branch alone but would be less costly than the development of both
Claxton and Mathews Branches.
In any region underlain by limestone, such as the vicinity of Waverly, the
ground waters may be polluted permanently or intermittently over extensive
areas. Hence, in order that public health may be properly safeguarded, any
ground water to be used for municipal supply should be sterilized by the appli­
cation of chlorine or other adequate sterilizing agent. Chlorination would be
required for each of the possible sources of supply for Waverly.