Chattahoochee River

The Chattahoochee River runs from the Chattahoochee Spring in the mountains of northeast Georgia, southwestward by Atlanta and through its suburbs, then turns southward to form the southern half of the Georgia/Alabama state line. It then merges with the Flint River at Lake Seminole to form the Florida panhandle's short Apalachicola River, and is the largest part of the ACF River Basin watershed. The name Chattahoochee is thought to come from a Creek word for "painted rock," possibly referring to the many colorful granite outcrops along the northeast-to-southwest segment of the river. Much of this segment of the river runs through the Brevard fault.

Related Topics:
Mountain - Georgia - Atlanta - Suburb - Alabama - Merge - Flint River - Lake Seminole - Florida - Panhandle - Apalachicola River - ACF River Basin - Watershed - Creek

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Several lakes, including Lake Sidney Lanier, Lake Walter F. George West Point Lake, and others are controlled by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, providing hydroelectricity, flood control, drinking water, recreation, and navigation. Several smaller and older lakes and dams also provide these services on a much smaller and more localized scale, including Bull Sluice Lake and Morgan Falls Dam.

Related Topics:
Lake - Lake Sidney Lanier - Lake Walter F. George - West Point Lake - Army Corps of Engineers - Hydroelectricity - Flood control - Drinking water - Recreation - Navigation - Dam - Bull Sluice Lake - Morgan Falls Dam

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It serves as the borders between several counties, including:

Related Topics:
Border - Counties

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• Carroll and Coweta
• Carroll and Fulton
• Douglas and Fulton
• Cobb and Fulton
• Fulton and Gwinnett
• Forsyth and Gwinnett

At one part, it is in Fulton County on both sides, though one side is Sandy Springs and the other is Roswell. (Georgia 400 crosses it at this point.)

Related Topics:
Sandy Springs - Roswell - Georgia 400

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A non-profit organization, the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, is a watchdog group for the northern half of the river.

Related Topics:
Non-profit - Organization - Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper - Watchdog

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Controversy has come to the river because of the enormous growth of metro Atlanta, and the tremendous increase in water withdrawals from the river. Oysters in Apalachicola Bay depend on the brackish water mix and alternating freshwater and saltwater flows the river and tides provide. Interbasin water transfers also occur, where water is withdrawn from the Chattahoochee, but then discharged as treated sewage into another river, such as Gwinnett County's Oconee River. The U.S. Congress has been asked to intervene to put navigation of the lower Chattahoochee (south of Columbus, Georgia) by barges last on the priority list, as most people view this as a complete waste of water during droughts, and a tremendous aggravation to the fight between Georgia, Florida, and Alabama over rights to the river. The case is now in court, and may take years to resolve.

Related Topics:
Controversy - Metro Atlanta - Oysters - Apalachicola Bay - Brackish water - Freshwater - Saltwater - Tide - Interbasin water transfer - Sewage - Gwinnett County - Oconee River - U.S. Congress - Columbus, Georgia - Barge - Drought - Right - Case - Court - Year

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Chattahoochee River: Flooding ►