Hatchett Creek

Almost the entire drainage system of Coosa County and one of the cleanest streams in the state - the creek is a joy for paddlers, botanists and birders. The geology is interesting, as you paddle from Hwy 280 to Hwy 231 you pass some massive boulders light in color, as well as some significant cliffs. Down stream from Hwy 231 is a beautiful old patch of shoals lily. If I find out more about the geology I will post it. Hatchet Creek drains 422 square miles and is a biologically rich subwatershed. Sixty-one species of fish (62 including the blue shiner in Weogufka) highlight the watershed as an extremely diverse sub-basin of the Coosa. By comparison fish diversity for other Coosa tributaries shows Big Canoe Creek-54, Terrapin Creek-41 species, and the Little River an Outstanding National Resource Water -46. Some sensitive species include burrhead shiner (Notropis asperifrons), speckled chub (Macrhybopsis aestivalis). shadow bass (Ambloplites ariommus), the brightly colored bronze darter (Percina palmaris), and greenbreast darter (Etheostoma jordani). Twelve species of snail have been documented, including the endangered Tulatoma snail. Also possesses populations of the rare Cahaba lily, Hymenocallis coronaria. (State of Rivers and Hatchet Baseline) (For more information, please visit Rivers of Alabama)