This enables natural erosion processes to take place without destroying the fragile wetlands. The USGS contributes to this effort by supplying information on the distribution of sand and clay deposits, and also by explaining the nature of modern shoreline processes. Knowing the location of buried, sand-filled channels, which were created when sea level was lower during an ice age, is particularly important. This information helps the State predict which engineering strategies are most likely to succeed in achieving a stable shoreline. Water-Resources Investigations in Baldwin County Baldwin County, which covers an area of 1,613 square miles, is the largest county and has one of the fastest growing populations in Alabama.
Many features make Baldwin County attractive for future residential growth.
The county is 100 percent dependent on ground water for public supply. Ground-water withdrawals were estimated to be about 30 million gallons per day in 1990. The USGS inventoried 174 wells in Baldwin County. The water levels in 158 of those wells were measured during fall 1994. The water-level data collected are being used to construct a map of the potentiometric surface of the Miocene aquifer system, which supplies most of the ground water used in the county.