The ACT Basin provides water resources for multiple purposes from just north of the Tennessee-Georgia border, extending into central north Georgia, crossing the Georgia-Alabama state-line into north Alabama, continuing across central and south Alabama before terminating in Mobile Bay. The basin covers 32 counties in Alabama, 18 counties in Georgia and 2 counties in Tennessee. The basin drains 22,800 square miles, extending a distance of approximately 320 miles.

There are three main rivers in the ACT basin: the Alabama, Coosa, and Tallapoosa Rivers. The Coosa and Tallapoosa join to form the Alabama River about two-thirds of the way downstream in the basin. The Coosa and Tallapoosa Rivers have numerous smaller tributary rivers.

There are 18 dams in the ACT basin, which form 16 major reservoirs (Jordan and Bouldin share a common reservoir and Carters Dam and Carters Reregulation function as a single system). Six dams are federally owned by the Corps and 12 are privately owned projects. Of the 18 dams, there are two on the Coosawattee River, one on the Etowah River, seven on the Coosa River, four on the Tallapoosa River, one on the Cahaba River, and three on the Alabama River.

Water Control Manuals are required for four of APC's projects that have flood control. On June 28, 1954, the 83rd Congress, second session, enacted Public Law 436 which suspended the authorization under the River and Harbor Act of March 2, 1945 insofar as it concerned Federal development of the Coosa River for the development of electric power, to permit development by private interests under a license to be issued by the Federal Power Commission (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission). The law stipulates that the license shall require the provision of flood control storage and further states that the projects shall be operated for flood control and navigation in accordance with reasonable rules and regulations of the Secretary of the Army. Thus the water control manual requirement for the 4 dams Weiss, Neely H. Henry, Logan Martin and Harris.

The 9 projects and their key characteristics are listed in Table Below.