ABSTRACT

Bayou Cumbest, an abandoned fluvial course of the modern Pascagoula River system, contains one of the largest relatively undisturbed areas of marsh-wetlands in the states of Alabama and Mississippi. Portions of the area are being considered by developers as sites for continued expansion of nearby petro-chemical industries. Most coastal states have enacted laws and regulations prohibiting the development of such areas. However, little is known regarding the origin of these wetlands, as well as the potential effects of adjacent land uses upon them.

A detailed study of the Pleistocene-Holocene geologic history identified fluvial and estuarine geomorphic and lithologic units which control the present distribution of the marsh-wetlands. Further examination of this data has resulted in the delineation of critical areas. that should be preserved or restricted. Preservation of these areas is necessary because of hydrogeologic associations and effects of certain types of man induced changes, in either surface or groundwater chemistry, and siltation of drainage channels into marshes.

The overall results of this study indicates that with careful planning the area can support continued development within reasonable environmental constraints. Relationships established between the origin of these wetlands and the Pleistocene-Holocene geologic history may be applied to similar areas not only in Mississippi but on the entire GulfCoast.

End_of_Record - Last_Page 428-------