Perdido River and Bay

The Perdido River and Bay watershed encompasses portions of Escambia and Baldwin counties in Alabama and Escambia County, Florida. The watershed covers over 1,100 square miles. Approximately 70 percent of the watershed is in Alabama and 30 percent is in Florida. The Perdido River and Perdido Bay serve as the state line. The Perdido River is approximately 65 miles in length, with 58 miles along the Florida-Alabama border. Perdido Bay covers an approximately 50 square mile area oriented in a southwest-northeast direction. Major tributaries are Brushy Creek, Boggy Creek, McDavid Creek, Jacks Branch, Elevenmile Creek, Tenmile Creek, and Bayou Marcus Creek in Florida and Dyas Creek, Hollinger Creek, Styx River, and Blackwater River in Alabama. Among the major features of the bay are Perdido Key, Innerarity Point, Perdido Bay, Big Lagoon, Tarkiln Bayou, and Wolf Bay.

There are no major municipalities within Florida’s portion of the watershed, although unincorporated portions of the Pensacola metropolitan area do fall within the watershed. Municipalities in Alabama include Atmore, Bay Minette, Elberta, Foley, Gulf Shores, Loxley, Orange Beach, Perdido Beach, Robertsdale, Silverhill, and Summerdale.

Perdido River and Bay SWIM Plan

The purpose of the Perdido River and Bay Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Plan is to provide a framework for resource management, protection, and restoration using a watershed approach. Protecting and restoring watershed resources is a shared responsibility on the part of numerous watershed stakeholders, including local governments, state and federal agencies, private businesses, and the public. It requires building upon past accomplishments to encompass a wide range of management approaches. Protecting and restoring watershed resources is a shared responsibility on the part of numerous watershed stakeholders, including local governments, state and federal agencies, private businesses, and the public. It requires building upon past accomplishments to encompass a wide range of management approaches. Addressing continuing challenges affecting water quality and natural systems requires a range of strategies. Among these are additional improvements in the treatment and management of stormwater runoff; continued implementation of best management practices for agriculture, silviculture, and construction; and additional efforts to improve wastewater treatment and management. To complement these, long-term protection of critical habitats and associated buffer areas will further help protect water resources. Projects identified in the plan include the following:

• Stormwater Planning and Retrofit
• Septic Tank Abatement
• Advanced Onsite Treatment Systems
• Agriculture and Silviculture BMPs
• Basinwide Sedimentation Abatement
• Riparian Buffer Zones
• Aquatic, Hydrologic, and Wetland Restoration
• Estuarine Habitat Restoration
• Strategic Land Conservation
• Watershed Stewardship Initiative
• Sub-basin Restoration Plans
• Wastewater Treatment and Management Improvements
• Interstate Coordination
• Analytical Program Support
• Comprehensive Monitoring Program

For more information, please contact Paul Thorpe at Paul.Thorpe@nwfwater.com or (850) 539-5999.

Supporting Documents

Water Supply Assessments

Hydrogeology of the Northwest Florida Water Management District (1996)