Chattahoochee River

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Chattahoochee River
River
Chattahoochee River at Jones Bridge Park in Norcross, Georgia.
Country USA
States Georgia, Alabama, Florida
Map of the Apalachicola River system with the Chattahoochee highlighted in dark blue.

The Chattahoochee River runs from the Chattahoochee Spring in the Appalachian Mountains of northeastern Georgia, near the Carolinas, to the southwestward to Atlanta and through its suburbs. It eventually turns to the due south to form the southern half of the Georgia/Alabama state line. Flowing through a series of reservoirs, it flows by Columbus, Georgia, the third-largest city in Georgia, and Ft. Benning of the U.S. Army. At Columbus, it crosses the Fall Line of the eastern United States. Farther south it merges with the Flint River and other tributaries at Lake Seminole, near Bainbridge to form the Florida panhandle's Apalachicola River - the same river, but with a different name, dating back to Colonial times. It is the largest part of the ACF River Basin watershed.

The name Chattahoochee is thought to come from a Creek Indian word for "painted rock" - possibly referring to the many colorful granite outcroppings along the northeast-to-southwest segment of the river. Much of that segment of the river runs through the Brevard fault zone.

The beauty of Chattahoochee River is commemorated in the epic poem "The Song of the Chattahoochee" (1877) by the noted Georgian poet Sidney Lanier. Lake Lanier on the Chattahoochee is named for him.

Several lakes, including Lake Lanier, the Walter F. George Lake, the West Point Lake, the George W. Andrews Lake, and others are controlled by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, providing hydroelectricity, flood control, domestic & industrial water, recreation, and river barge navigation. The Georgia Power Company also owns a small series of dams along the middle portion of the river (the Columbus area) between West Point Lake and Lake Walter F. George. Several smaller and older lakes and dams also provide these services on a much smaller and more localized scale, including Bull Sluice Lake, which is held by Morgan Falls Dam. This dam was built by the Georgia Railway and Power Company in 1902 to provide electric power for the antique Atlanta trolley system, long since replaced by other forms of transportation.

At various points, the Chattahoochee serves as the boundary between several counties and cities, as well as forming the lower half of the boundary between Alabama and Georgia.

Within Georgia, it divides:

Atlanta itself is built upon the crest of a large ridge, rather than on the river proper. This has contributed to keeping much of the natural scenic beauty of the section that runs through metropolitan Atlanta safe. Other sections of the river bank north of the metropolis are protected by the boundaries of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area[1] which is spread across several disconnected areas.

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

Controversy has come to the river rather recently because of the enormous growth of metropolitan Atlanta, and the resulting great increase in water withdrawals from the river. Oysters in the Apalachicola Bay, Florida, depend on the brackish water mixture of river and ocean water, and the alternating freshwater and saltwater flows that the river and the tides provide. Interbasin water transfers also occur, where water is withdrawn from the Chattahoochee, but then discharged as treated sewage water into another river, such as the Oconee River, which flows to the Atlantic Seaboard. The Congress of the United States has been asked to intervene to put navigation of the lower Chattahoochee, south of Columbus, Georgia, by river barge last on the priority lists, since many people consider this to be a waste of water during droughts, and an aggravation of the fight between Georgia, Florida, and Alabama over rights to the river water. The lawsuit is now in court, and that may take quite a few years to resolve.

Contents

[edit] Flooding

The most recent major flood along the river occurred durring the 2009 Georgia (U.S. state) floods, with 28.10 ft of water recorded at Vinings at the northwestern Atlanta city limit. The flood was over 5 ft higher than the previous flood recorded in September 2004, as a result of Hurricane Ivan. Numerous tributaries also swelled far over and beyond their banks. These were the highest water levels seen since 1990, and the second-highest ever since the large Buford Dam was built upstream. The National Weather Service in Peachtree City estimated that this was a 500-year flood event.

Wiki letter w.svg This section requires expansion.

[edit] Gauges

Stream gauges are located:

Water-level forecasts are regularly issued only at Vinings/Atlanta. Forecasts are issued only during high water at Norcross, Whitesburg, West Point, and the Lake Walter F. George and Andrews dams. All other locations have observations only.

[edit] Tributaries

Sunset over the Chattahoochee River and Downtown Columbus, Georgia
The upper Chattahoochee River at the Upper Chattahoochee River Campground north of Helen, White County, Georgia
Chattahoochee River at River Park on Willeo Road, Fulton County, Georgia

Tributary creeks, streams, and rivers, as well as lakes, along with the county they are in:

Note that the above list is incomplete, and that each item is not in the exact order in which it joins the Chattahoochee. (For confluences now inundated by lakes, it may be impossible to determine from current maps exactly where they were.)

[edit] Popular Culture

The Chattahoochee River was featured in Call of Juarez: Bound In Blood.

Country music artist, Alan Jackson, released his song, Chattahoochee in 1993 as a single off his album, A Lot About Livin' (And a Little 'bout Love). "Chattahoochee" also received CMA awards for Single of the Year and Song of the Year.[2]

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ http://www.nps.gov/chat/planyourvisit/upload/CHATParkMap.pdf
  2. ^ "Alan Jackson Biography" (html). About.com. http://countrymusic.about.com/cs/alanjackson/p/blprajackson.htm. Retrieved 2007-08-07. 

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Chattahoochee River Reservoirs and Dams
v • d • e
Atlanta landmarks
Current

Atlanta Botanical Garden • Atlanta City Hall • Atlanta Civic Center • Atlanta Cyclorama • Atlanta History Center • Atlanta Symphony Hall • Atlantic Station • The Big Chicken • Bobby Dodd Stadium • Centennial Olympic Park • Center for Puppetry Arts • Chattahoochee River • Clermont Lounge • CNN Center • Donna Van Gogh's Artists' Market • Fernbank Museum of Natural History • Fernbank Science Center • Fox Theatre • Georgia Aquarium • Georgia Dome • Georgia Governor's Mansion • Georgia International Convention Center • Georgia State Capitol • Georgia World Congress Center • Grant Park • Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport • High Museum of Art • Jimmy Carter Library and Museum • Joel Chandler Harris Home (Wren's Nest) • Lenox Square • Margaret Mitchell House & Museum • Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site • Mary Mac's Tea Room • Oakland Cemetery • Philips Arena • Phipps Plaza • Piedmont Park • Stone Mountain • Tech Tower • The Tabernacle • The Varsity • Turner Field • Underground Atlanta • Winecoff Hotel • Woodruff Arts Center • Woodruff Park • World of Coca-Cola • Zoo Atlanta
Former

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