The Chattahoochee River forms the southern half of the

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

and

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

border, as well as a portion of the

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

- Georgia border. It is a tributary of the

Apalachicola River The Apalachicola River is a river, approximately 160 mi (180 km) long in the state of Florida. The river's large watershed, known as the ACF River Basin, drains an area of approximately into the Gulf of Mexico. The distance to its fa ...

, a relatively short river formed by the confluence of the Chattahoochee and

Flint Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Flint was widely used historically to make stone tools and start fir ...

rivers and emptying from Florida into

Apalachicola Bay Apalachicola may refer to: * Apalachicola people, a group of Native Americans who lived along the Apalachicola River in present-day Florida Places *Apalachicola, Florida *Apalachicola River *Apalachicola Bay *Apalachicola National Forest *Apalachi ...

in the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of ...

. The Chattahoochee River is about long. The Chattahoochee, Flint, and Apalachicola rivers together make up the Apalachicola–Chattahoochee–Flint River Basin (

ACF River Basin The ACF River Basin is the drainage basin, or watershed, of the Apalachicola River, Chattahoochee River, and Flint River, in the Southeastern United States. This area is alternatively known as simply the Apalachicola Basin and is listed by t ...

). The Chattahoochee makes up the largest part of the ACF's

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, t ...

Course

The

source Source may refer to: Research * Historical document * Historical source * Source (intelligence) or sub source, typically a confidential provider of non open-source intelligence * Source (journalism), a person, publication, publishing institute o ...

of the Chattahoochee River is located in Jacks Gap at the southeastern foot of

Jacks Knob Jacks Knob is a mountain located on the border of Towns County and Union County, Georgia, with a peak elevation of 3,813 feet. The Appalachian Trail crosses the southern flank of the mountain and Jacks Knob Trail ends here at an intersection w ...

, in the very southeastern corner of Union County, in the southern

Blue Ridge Mountains The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. The mountain range is located in the Eastern United States, and extends 550 miles southwest from southern Pennsylvania through Maryland, West Virgin ...

, a subrange of the

Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...

. The headwaters of the river flow south from ridges that form the

Tennessee Valley Divide The Tennessee Valley Divide is the boundary of the drainage basin of the Tennessee River and its tributaries. The Tennessee River drainage basin begins with its tributaries in southwestern Virginia and flows generally west to the confluence of t ...

. The

Appalachian Trail The Appalachian Trail (also called the A.T.), is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian Tr ...

crosses the river's uppermost headwaters. The Chattahoochee's source and upper course lie within

Chattahoochee National Forest The Chattahoochee River forms the southern half of the Alabama and Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia border, as well as a portion of the Florida - Georgia border. It is a tributary of the Apalachicola River, a relatively short river formed by the con ...

. From its source in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Chattahoochee River flows southwesterly to

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

and through its

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...

s. It eventually turns due-south to form the southern half of the Georgia/Alabama state line. Flowing through a series of

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

s and artificial lakes, it flows by

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

, the third-largest city in Georgia, and the

Fort Benning Fort Benning is a United States Army post near Columbus, Georgia, adjacent to the Alabama–Georgia border. Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve component soldiers, retirees and civilian employees ...

Army base. At Columbus, it crosses the

Fall Line A fall line (or fall zone) is the area where an upland region and a coastal plain meet and is typically prominent where rivers cross it, with resulting rapids or waterfalls. The uplands are relatively hard crystalline basement rock, and the coa ...

of the eastern United States. From

Lake Oliver Lake Oliver is a reservoir on the Chattahoochee River, which lies south of Goat Rock Dam (Goat Rock Lake). The lake is created by the Oliver Dam and Generating Plant, which was completed in 1959 by Georgia Power. The lake was named for Jame ...

to Fort Benning, the Chattahoochee Riverwalk provides cycling, rollerblading, and walking along of the river's banks. Farther south, it merges with the

Flint River The Flint River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 15, 2011 river in the U.S. state of Georgia. The river drains of western Georgia, flowing south from the u ...

and other tributaries at

Lake Seminole Lake Seminole is a reservoir located in the southwest corner of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia along its border with Florida, maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Chattahoochee River, Chattahoochee and Flint River (Georgia), Flint ri ...

near Bainbridge, to form the

that flows into the

Florida Panhandle The Florida Panhandle (also West Florida and Northwest Florida) is the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Florida; it is a Salient (geography), salient roughly long and wide, lying between Alabama on the north and the west, Georgia (U. ...

. The Chattahoochee River ends in the city of

Chattahoochee, FL Chattahoochee is a city in Gadsden County, Florida, United States. Its history dates to the Spanish era. The population was 3,652 as of the 2010 census, up from 3,287 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Tallahassee, Florida Metropolitan Statis ...

. From there, the same river is then named Apalachicola River, which ends (160 miles away) in the city of

Apalachicola, FL Apalachicola ( ) is a city and the county seat of Franklin County, Florida, United States, on the shore of Apalachicola Bay, an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico. The population was 2,231 at the 2010 census. History The Apalachicola people, after ...

(meaning both rivers end in the city named after them). Although the same river, this portion was given a different name by separated settlers in different regions during the

colonial Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 au ...

times.

Etymology

The name ''Chattahoochee'' is thought to come from a Muskogee word meaning "rocks-marked" (or "painted"), from ''chato'' ("rock") plus ''huchi'' ("marked"). This possibly refers to the many colorful

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...

outcroppings along the northeast-to-southwest segment of the river. Much of that segment of the river runs through the

Brevard fault zone Brevard is the name of some places in the United States of America: *Brevard, North Carolina **Brevard College **Brevard Music Center *Brevard County, Florida Brevard County ( ) is a county located in the east central portion of the U.S. st ...

History

Geologic History

The current course of the Chattahoochee River has a geologic history that extends back in time at least 100 million years. A Late Cretaceous system of paleovalleys incised into the Coastal Plain unconformity in the vicinity of Columbus, Georgia is infilled with fluvial sands and gravels of the lower Tuscaloosa Formation. Younger rocks of the overlying Eutaw Formation record an estuarine environment in approximately the same location, suggesting a persistent paleodrainage system in the vicinity of the modern Chattahoochee for at least 10-20 million years during the Late Cretaceous. North of the Fall Line, in the Piedmont of Georgia and Alabama, the course of the Chattahoochee River cuts across prominent, resistant rock layers, including the Hollis Quartzite of the Pine Mountain belt, and must have established its current course prior to uplift of those units. At the mouth of the Chattahoochee-Flint-Apalachicola River system, in the Apalachicola River delta, the geologic history of the delta can be traced at least as far back as the Miocene.

Early history

The vicinity of the Chattahoochee River was inhabited in prehistoric times by

indigenous peoples Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

since at least 1000 BC. The

Kolomoki Mounds The Kolomoki Mounds is one of the largest and earliest Woodland period earthwork mound complexes in the Southeastern United States and is the largest in Georgia. Constructed from 350CE to 600CE, the mound complex is located in southwest Georgi ...

, now protected in the Kolomoki Mounds Historic Park near present-day Blakely in Early County in southwest Georgia, were built from 350 AD to 650 AD and constitute the largest mound complex in the state.

Removal of Native Americans

Among the historical Indigenous nations, the Chattahoochee served as a dividing line between the

Muscogee (Creek) The Muscogee, also known as the Mvskoke, Muscogee Creek, and the Muscogee Creek Confederacy ( in the Muscogee language), are a group of related indigenous (Native American) peoples of the Southeastern WoodlandsCherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...

territories (to the west) in the Southeast. The Chattahoochee River became the dividing point for the

Creek Confederacy The Muscogee, also known as the Mvskoke, Muscogee Creek, and the Muscogee Creek Confederacy ( in the Muscogee language), are a group of related indigenous (Native American) peoples of the Southeastern WoodlandsUpper Creek The Muscogee, also known as the Mvskoke, Muscogee Creek, and the Muscogee Creek Confederacy ( in the Muscogee language), are a group of related indigenous (Native American) peoples of the Southeastern WoodlandsRed Sticks Red Sticks (also Redsticks, Batons Rouges, or Red Clubs), the name deriving from the red-painted war clubs of some Native American Creeks—refers to an early 19th-century traditionalist faction of these people in the American Southeast. Made u ...

and the

Lower Creek The Muscogee, also known as the Mvskoke, Muscogee Creek, and the Muscogee Creek Confederacy ( in the Muscogee language), are a group of related indigenous (Native American) peoples of the Southeastern Woodlandsremoved the Native Americans to extinguish their claims and make way for European-American settlement through a series of treaties, land lotteries, and forced removals lasting from 1820 through 1832. The Muscogee were first removed from the southeastern side of the river, and then the Cherokee from the northwest.

American Civil War

The Chattahoochee River was of considerable strategic importance during the Atlanta Campaign by Union General

William Tecumseh Sherman William Tecumseh Sherman ( ; February 8, 1820February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), achieving recognition for his com ...

of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. Between the tributaries of Proctor Creek and Nickajack Creek on the Cobb and Fulton county lines in metropolitan Atlanta, are nine remaining fortifications nicknamed "Shoupades" that were part of a defensive line occupied by the

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

in early July 1864. Designed by Confederate Brigadier General Francis A. Shoup, the line became known as

Johnston's River Line Johnston's River Line, also called Johnston's Line, the Chattahoochee River Line or simply The River Line, is a historic American Civil War defensive line located in the communities of Mableton, Smyrna, and Vinings, Georgia that was used by the Con ...

after Confederate General

Joseph E. Johnston Joseph Eggleston Johnston (February 3, 1807 – March 21, 1891) was an American career army officer, serving with distinction in the United States Army during the Mexican–American War (1846–1848) and the Seminole Wars. After Virginia seceded ...

and is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. A month prior to the

Battle of Atlanta The Battle of Atlanta was a battle of the Atlanta Campaign fought during the American Civil War on July 22, 1864, just southeast of Atlanta, Georgia. Continuing their summer campaign to seize the important rail and supply hub of Atlanta, Uni ...

, Shoup talked with Johnston on June 18, 1864, about building fortifications. Johnston agreed, and Shoup supervised the building of 36 small elevated earth and wooden triangular fortifications, arranged in a sawtooth pattern to maximize the crossfire of defenders. Sherman tried to avoid the Shoupade defenses by crossing the river to the northeast. The nine remaining Shoupades consist of the earthworks portion of the original earth and wooden structures; they are endangered by land development in the area. Two of the last battles of the war,

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

and

took place at strategically important crossings of the Chattahoochee.

Recent history

Since the nineteenth century, early improvements and alterations to the river were for the purposes of navigation. The river was important for carrying trade and passengers and was a major transportation route. In the twentieth century, the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

passed legislation in 1944 and 1945 to improve navigation for commercial traffic on the river, as well as to establish hydroelectric power and recreational facilities on a series of lakes to be created by building dams and establishing reservoirs. Creating the manmade, 46,000-acre

Walter F. George Lake The Walter F. George Lake, named for Walter F. George (1878–1957), a United States senator from Georgia, is formed on the Chattahoochee River along the state line between Alabama and Georgia. It is also widely known by the name, Lake Eufaula – ...

required evacuating numerous communities, including the historically majority-Native American settlement of

Oketeyeconne, Georgia Oketeyeconne was an unincorporated community in Clay County, Georgia, United States, which was located along the Chattahoochee River. Following legislation of the late 1940s, the United States Army Corps of Engineers constructed major dam and reser ...

."Oketeyeconne/Chattahoochee Theater"
, Historical Marker Database, accessed 23 June 2012 The lakes were complete in 1963, covering over numerous historic and prehistoric sites of settlement.
, US Army Corps of Engineers, accessed 23 June 2012 Beginning in the late twentieth century, the nonprofit organization called "

Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper (CRK) -- formerly known as Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper (UCR) -- is an environmental advocacy organization with 10,000 members dedicated solely to protecting and restoring the Chattahoochee River Basin. CRK was mode ...

" has advocated for the preservation of the environment and ecology of the northern part of the river, especially the part traversing

Metropolitan Atlanta Metro Atlanta, designated by the United States Office of Management and Budget as the Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Alpharetta, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area, is the most populous metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Georgia and the ...

. In 2010, a campaign to create a

whitewater Whitewater forms in a rapid context, in particular, when a river's gradient changes enough to generate so much turbulence that air is trapped within the water. This forms an unstable current that froths, making the water appear opaque and ...

river course was launched in the portion of the Chattahoochee River that runs through Columbus, Georgia. Between 2010 and 2013, construction took place on the river, the Eagle and Phenix and City Mills Dams were breached and a 2.5 mile Whitewater Course was formed in Uptown, Columbus. The project returned the river to its natural path across the

, as well as creating the longest urban whitewater course in the world.

Modifications

Several large manmade

s, including Lanier,

Walter F. George Walter Franklin George (January 29, 1878 – August 4, 1957) was an American politician from the state of Georgia. He was a longtime Democratic United States Senator from 1922 to 1957 and was President pro tempore of the United States Sen ...

, and

George W. Andrews George William Andrews (December 12, 1906 – December 25, 1971) was an American politician and a United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative from Alabama, and the husband of Elizabeth B. Andrews. Andrews is known for objecting ...

, lakes are controlled by the

United States Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

. The dams and reservoirs were developed following legislation by Congress of the mid-1940s for

flood control Flood control methods are used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters."Flood Control", MSN Encarta, 2008 (see below: Further reading). Flood relief methods are used to reduce the effects of flood waters or high water level ...

, domestic and industrial water,

hydroelectricity Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other Renewabl ...

, recreation, and improved navigation for river barges. Most of the lakes were completed by 1963. Numerous historic and prehistoric sites were covered over by the lakes during the flooding of the reservoirs, including Oketeyconne, Georgia. The

Georgia Power Company Georgia Power is an electric utility headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It was established as the Georgia Railway and Power Company and began operations in 1902 running streetcars in Atlanta as a successor to the Atlanta Consolida ...

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 Bull Sluice Lake is a small reservoir located along the Chattahoochee River in northern Georgia, in the northern suburbs of metro Atlanta. It is , and is impounded by the Morgan Falls Dam. Besides the hydroelectric power produced by the dam, ...

, which is held by the

Morgan Falls Dam Bull Sluice Lake is created by Morgan Falls Dam, a small hydroelectric dam located along the Chattahoochee River at the northern end of Sandy Springs, Georgia, and crossing the river westwards into eastern Cobb County in north metro Atlanta. Origi ...

. This dam was built by the

Georgia Railway and Power Company Georgia Power is an electric utility headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. It was established as the Georgia Railway and Power Company and began operations in 1902 running streetcars in Atlanta as a successor to ...

in 1902 to provide electric power for the Atlanta trolley system, which has long since been replaced by other forms of transportation.

River borders

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: *

Habersham County Habersham County is a County (United States), county located in the Northeast Georgia, northeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, the population was 43,041. The county s ...

and White County * Forsyth County and Hall County * Forsyth County and

Gwinnett County Gwinnett County ( ) is located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. It forms part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. In 2020, the population was 957,062, making it the second-most populous county in Georgia (after Fulton C ...

Fulton County Fulton County is the name of eight counties in the United States of America. Most are named for Robert Fulton, inventor of the first practical steamboat: *Fulton County, Arkansas, named after Governor William Savin Fulton *Fulton County, Georgia *F ...

and Gwinnett County *

Sandy Springs Sandy Springs is a city in northern Fulton County, Georgia and an inner ring suburb of Atlanta. The city's population was 108,080 at the 2020 census, making it Georgia's seventh-largest city. It is the site of several corporate headquarters, i ...

and Roswell *

Cobb County Cobb County is a county in the U.S. state of Georgia, located in the Atlanta metropolitan area in the north central portion of the state. As of 2020 Census, the population was 766,149. Its county seat and largest city is Marietta. Along with ...

and Fulton County * Douglas County and Fulton County * Carroll County and Fulton County * Carroll County and

Coweta County Coweta County is a county located in the west central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is part of Metro Atlanta. As of the 2020 census, the population was 146,158. The county seat is Newnan. Coweta County is included in the Atlanta- ...

Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee County, with which it ...

and

Phenix City, Alabama Phenix City is a city in Lee and Russell counties in the U.S. state of Alabama, and the county seat of Russell County. As of the 2020 Census, the population of the city was 38,817. Phenix City lies immediately west across the Chattahoochee R ...

* Georgetown, Georgia and

Eufaula, Alabama Eufaula is the largest city in Barbour County, Alabama, Barbour County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census the city's population was 13,137. History The site along the Chattahoochee River that is now moder ...

Atlanta

Atlanta is built upon the crest of a large ridge, rather than in the floodplain of the river. This has contributed the preservation of much of the natural scenic beauty of the section that runs through metropolitan Atlanta. North of the metropolis, the

Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (CRNRA) preserves a series of sites between Atlanta and Lake Sidney Lanier along the Chattahoochee River in Georgia, U.S. The 48-mile (77 km) stretch of the river affords public recreation opportu ...

protects other portions of the riverbanks in a region that is spread across several disconnected areas. The river traverses much of Atlanta's hilly topography of the northern suburbs. Wealthy suburban communities in northern metro Atlanta that abut the river include: Vinings,

Buckhead Buckhead is the uptown commercial and residential district of the city of Atlanta, Georgia, comprising approximately the northernmost fifth of the city. Buckhead is the third largest business district within the Atlanta city limits, behind Downt ...

East Cobb East Cobb is an unincorporated community in Cobb County, Georgia, United States, with a population of 175,890 people. It is an affluent northern suburb of Atlanta. History The area was developed as a suburb of Atlanta beginning in the 1960s. In c ...

, Roswell,

Dunwoody Dunwoody is a city located in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. As a northern suburb of Atlanta, Dunwoody is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. It was incorporated as a city on December 1, 2008 but its area establishment dates back to ...

Peachtree Corners Peachtree Corners is a city in Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States. It is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area, and is the largest city in Gwinnett County with a population of 42,243 as of the 2020 US Census. Peachtree Corners is the only ...

Duluth , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

Johns Creek Johns Creek is a city in Fulton County, Georgia, United States. According to the 2020 census, the population was 82,453. The city is a northeastern suburb of Atlanta. History In the early 19th century, the Johns Creek area was dotted with ...

, and Berkeley Lake. Since three states have needs related to the river, there has been increasing controversy since the late twentieth century related to competing development among the regions and the implications for the river. The enormous growth of metropolitan Atlanta has increased its water withdrawals from the river. This has effects downstream. For example, the

oysters Oyster is the common name for a number of different families of salt-water bivalve molluscs that live in marine or brackish habitats. In some species, the valves are highly calcified, and many are somewhat irregular in shape. Many, but not al ...

in the

of 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. The amount of flow in the Chattahoochee has also been decreased by interbasin water transfers, where water is withdrawn from the Chattahoochee, but discharged as treated

sewage Sewage (or domestic sewage, domestic wastewater, municipal wastewater) is a type of wastewater that is produced by a community of people. It is typically transported through a sewer system. Sewage consists of wastewater discharged from residenc ...

water into another river, such as the

Oconee River The Oconee River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map Accessed April 21, 2011 river in the U.S. state of Georgia. Its origin is in Hall County and it terminates where it joins ...

, which flow to the Atlantic Seaboard via the

Altamaha River The Altamaha River is a major river in the U.S. state of Georgia. It flows generally eastward for 137 miles (220 km) from its origin at the confluence of the Oconee River and Ocmulgee River towards the Atlantic Ocean, where it empties ...

. Interest groups and the state of Florida have asked the

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...

to intervene to reduce the priority given to put navigation of the lower Chattahoochee, south of Columbus, by river barge. This requirement causes large water withdrawals, which environmental supporters consider a waste of water needed to support habitats, especially during droughts. The navigation issue has aggravated the fight between Georgia, Florida, and Alabama over rights to the river water. A lawsuit has been filed in the case to reduce priorities given to navigation. The lawsuit is now in court, and may take years to resolve.

Flooding

The most recent major flooding of the Chattahoochee River took place in November 2009. This was caused by torrential rains from Tropical Storm Ida as it tore through the Georgia Piedmont. Downstream from Roswell, the Chattahoochee River remained in moderate flood stage. Streams affected by the September 2009 floods included the following: * Chattahoochee River *

Vickery Creek Big Creek or Vickery Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 15, 2011 stream in Forsyth and Fulton counties in Georgia. The creek mouth into the Chattahoochee R ...

* Sweetwater Creek * Nancy Creek *

Peachtree Creek Peachtree Creek is a major stream in Atlanta. It flows for U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 15, 2011 almost due west into the Chattahoochee River just south of Vin ...

James Creek James Creek was a tributary of the Anacostia River in the southwest quadrant of Washington, D.C., once known as St. James' Creek and perhaps named after local landowner James Greenleaf. It arose from several springs just south of Capitol Hill. ...

The second most recent major flood along the river occurred during the

2009 Georgia floods The September 2009 Southeastern United States floods were a group of floods that affected several counties throughout northern Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Arkansas. The worst flooding occurred across the Atlanta metropolitan area ...

, with of water recorded at Vinings at the northwestern Atlanta city limit. The flood was over higher than the previous flood recorded in September 2004, as a result of Hurricane Fred. 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 Buford Dam is a dam in Buford, Georgia which is located at the southern end of Lake Lanier, a reservoir formed by the construction of the dam in 1956. The dam itself is managed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. The dam is made of ...

was built upstream. The

National Weather Service The National Weather Service (NWS) is an Government agency, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that is tasked with providing weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other weathe ...

Peachtree City Peachtree City is the largest city in Fayette County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, it had a population of 34,364. Peachtree City is located in South Metro Atlanta. Peachtree City is noted for its extensive use o ...

estimated that this was a

500-year flood A 100-year flood is a flood event that has a 1 in 100 chance (1% probability) of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. The 100-year flood is also referred to as the 1% flood, since its annual exceedance probability is 1%.Holmes, R.R., Jr. ...

event.

Gauges

The main

stream gauge A stream gauge, streamgage or stream gauging station is a location used by hydrologists or environmental scientists to monitor and test terrestrial bodies of water. Hydrometric measurements of water level surface elevation ("stage") and/or volu ...

s are located: * at

Helen Helen may refer to: People * Helen of Troy, in Greek mythology, the most beautiful woman in the world * Helen (actress) (born 1938), Indian actress * Helen (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Places * Helen, ...

(near downtown) * near Cornelia (6 miles or 10 km northwest of) * near

Buford Buford may refer to: Places United States *Buford, Arkansas *Buford, Colorado, an unincorporated community * Buford, Georgia *Buford Highway corridor, in Fulton, DeKalb, and Gwinnett Counties in Georgia * Buford, North Dakota *Buford, Ohio *Bufo ...

(4 miles or 6 km northwest of) immediately down from Buford Dam * near Norcross (5 miles or 8 km north of) on Medlock Bridge Road * near Roswell (4 miles or 6 km southeast of) just off old Riverside Road * below

TW * at Vinings (3 miles or 5 km southwest of) and Atlanta on

Pace's Ferry Through much of the 19th century, Pace's Ferry was an important ferry across the Chattahoochee River near Atlanta. Started in the early 1830s near Peachtree Creek, it was run by Hardy Pace, one of the city's founders. It was an important transpor ...

Road bridge * near Campbellton (1 mile or 2 km northwest of) and Fairburn on

Georgia 92 State Route 92 (SR 92) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Georgia. Its southern terminus is an intersection with US 19 Bus./ US 41 Bus./ SR 16 in Griffin. Its northern terminus is an intersection with SR 9/ ...

bridge * at Whitesburg (2 miles or 3 km southeast of) at Main Street (

Georgia 16 State Route 16 (SR 16) is a state highway that travels west-to-east through portions of Haralson, Carroll, Coweta, Spalding, Butts, Jasper, Putnam, Hancock, and Warren counties in the western and central parts of the U.S. state ...

) bridge * at Franklin at Main Street ( U.S. 27) bridge in downtown * at

(1 mile or 2 km "northeast", actually north, of the center of town) * at

on 14th Street N ( U.S. 280) bridge to

* at Walter F. George Dam (USACE) in Fort Gaines * at George W. Andrews Lake & dam (USACE) south of

Columbia, Alabama Columbia is a town in Houston County, Alabama, United States. It is part of the Dothan, Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2010 census the population was 740, down from 804 in 2000. History Founded in 1820, Columbia served as a major ...

then in November 2009 it flooded Vinings again. Water-level forecasts are regularly issued only at Vinings and 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.

Tributaries

Tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage ...

creeks,

stream A stream is a continuous body of water, body of surface water Current (stream), flowing within the stream bed, bed and bank (geography), banks of a channel (geography), channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream ...

s, and

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...

s, as well as lakes, along with the county they are in: *

Dukes Creek Dukes Creek is the creek in White County, Georgia, on which gold was found in 1828. The discovery of gold in White County and neighboring Lumpkin County led to the Georgia Gold Rush. The creek is approximately long. file geodatabase (GDB) at ftp: ...

(White) * Smith Creek (White) *

Chickamauga Creek Chickamauga Creek refers to two short tributaries of the Tennessee River, which join the river near Chattanooga, Tennessee. The two streams are North Chickamauga Creek and South Chickamauga Creek, joining the Tennessee from the north and south si ...

(White) * Blue Creek (White) * White Creek (White) * Mossy Creek (White) * Amys Creek (Habersham) *

Soque River The Soque River (Cherokee: ᏐᏈ) (Soquee River per 1972 Board on Geographic Names decision) and its watershed are located entirely within the county boundaries of Habersham County in northeast Georgia. The Soque is a tributary of the Chattahooch ...

(Habersham) * Mud Creek (Habersham and Hall) * Hagen Creek (Hall) * Flat Creek (White and Hall) *''

gauge (HDCG1)'' *Big Creek (Hall) *

Lake Lanier Lake Lanier (officially Lake Sidney Lanier) is a reservoir in the northern portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created by the completion of Buford Dam on the Chattahoochee River in 1956, and is also fed by the waters of the Chestatee Ri ...

and

( Dawson, Forsyth, Gwinnett,

Hall In architecture, a hall is a relatively large space enclosed by a roof and walls. In the Iron Age and early Middle Ages in northern Europe, a mead hall was where a lord and his retainers ate and also slept. Later in the Middle Ages, the gr ...

, and Lumpkin) **

Chestatee River The Chestatee River (variant spellings Chestatie, Chestetee, Chostatee, Chosteta, Chestotee; none in modern use) is a file geodatabase (GDB) at ftp://rockyftp.cr.usgs.gov/vdelivery/Datasets/Staged/Hydro/FileGDB101/ river in the Appalachian Mountain ...

(Dawson/Hall border, Forsyth/Hall border, and Lumpkin) * Six Mile Creek (Forsyth) *

(Forsyth) *

(Forsyth and north Fulton, city of

Johns Creek, Georgia Johns Creek is a city in Fulton County, Georgia, United States. According to the 2020 census, the population was 82,453. The city is a northeastern suburb of Atlanta. History In the early 19th century, the Johns Creek area was dotted with t ...

) * Bald Ridge Creek (Forsyth) * Audry Mill Creek (North Fulton) *

Crooked Creek Crooked Creek may refer to: Streams In Australia * Crooked Creek (Clyde River), a tributary of the Clyde River in New South Wales * Crooked Creek (Walsh River), a tributary of the Walsh River in Queensland In the United States * Crooked Cree ...

(DeKalb) * Young Deer Creek (Forsyth) * Four Mile Creek (Forsyth) *

Dick Creek Dick, Dicks, or Dick's may refer to: Media * ''Dicks'' (album), a 2004 album by Fila Brazillia * Dicks (band), a musical group * ''Dick'' (film), a 1999 American comedy film * "Dick" (song), a 2019 song by Starboi3 featuring Doja Cat Names ...

(Forsyth) *

Level Creek Level Creek is a stream in Gwinnett County in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is a tributary to the Chattahoochee River The Chattahoochee River forms the southern half of the Alabama and Georgia border, as well as a portion of the Florida - Georg ...

(Gwinnett) * Haw Creek (Forsyth) * Two Mile Creek (Forsyth) * Shoal Creek (Gwinnett and Hall) * Suwanee Creek (Gwinnett) * Brushy Creek (Gwinnett) * Richland Creek (Gwinnett) * Rogers Creek (Gwinnett) *'' Norcross gauge (NCRG1)'' * Mavern Creek (north Fulton) * Old Mill Creek (north Fulton) *

(Forsyth, north Fulton) *'' Roswell gauge (RWLG1) *

Willeo Creek Willeo Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 15, 2011 stream in the U.S. state of Georgia, and is located in the north-northwestern part of metro Atlanta. It i ...

(Cobb/Fulton border) *

and

* Ball Mill Creek (

DeKalb DeKalb or De Kalb may refer to: People * Baron Johann de Kalb (1721–1780), major general in the American Revolutionary War Places Municipalities in the United States * DeKalb, Illinois, the largest city in the United States named DeKalb **DeKal ...

and Fulton) * Beech Creek (Fulton) * Summerbrook Creek (Fulton) * Mountain Health Creek (Fulton) * Arrowhead Creek (Cobb) * Mulberry Creek (Cobb) * Nancy Creek (DeKalb and Fulton) *

Nannyberry Creek ''Viburnum lentago'', the nannyberry, sheepberry, or sweet viburnum, is a species of ''Viburnum'' native to North America. Description It is a large shrub or small tree growing upwards to tall with a trunk up to in diameter and a short trunk, ...

(Cobb) *

Nickajack Creek Nickajack Creek is a stream in Cobb and Fulton counties in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is a tributary to the Chattahoochee River. Groundwater serves as the water source, with the creek beginning in Marietta, Georgia. The creek runs through the ...

(Cobb) * Owl Creek (Cobb) *

Rottenwood Creek Rottenwood Creek (also spelled "Rotten Wood Creek") is a stream in Cobb County in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is a tributary to the Chattahoochee River. Rottenwood Creek was named for Rotten Wood, a local Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, � ...

(Cobb) *

Sope Creek Sope Creek is an U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 15, 2011 stream located in Cobb County, Georgia, United States. It is a significant tributary of the Chattahooc ...

(Cobb) * Trout Lily Creek (Cobb) *'' Vinings gauge at

(VING1)'' *

(Fulton) * Proctor Creek (Fulton) * Cabin Creek (Fulton) * Camp Creek (Fulton) * Charlie's Trapping Creek (Fulton) *

(Fulton and Gwinnett) *

Dog River Dog River may refer to: Canada *Dog River (Ontario), a river in Thunder Bay District, Ontario *Dog River (Manitoba), a river in Northern Region, Manitoba *Dog River, Saskatchewan, a fictional setting for the television series ''Corner Gas'' Unite ...

(Douglas) *

Hewlett Creek Hewlett or Hewletts may refer to: * Bill Hewlett, an American entrepreneur * Hewlett (surname) * Hewlett Johnson (1874-1966), English clergyman, Dean of Manchester and Dean of Canterbury * Hewlett Thompson (born 1929), Anglican former Bishop of Exe ...

(Fulton) *

Long Island Creek Long Island Creek is a stream in Fulton County in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is a tributary to the Chattahoochee River. Long Island Creek takes its name from a long river island River Island is a London-based, multi-channel fashion brand, ...

(Fulton) * Marsh Creek (Fulton) * Whitewater Creek (Troup) * Sandy Creek (Fulton) * Sweetwater Creek (Cobb, Douglas, and Paulding) *

Pea Creek The pea is most commonly the small spherical seed or the seed-pod of the flowering plant species ''Pisum sativum''. Each pod contains several peas, which can be green or yellow. Botanically, pea pods are fruit, since they contain seeds and d ...

(south Fulton) * Pine Creek (south Fulton) * Deep Creek (south Fulton) *Mill Branch (south Fulton) *

Brock Branch Brock may refer to: Businesses * Brock Motors, a short-lived automotive company founded in 1921 in Amherstberg, Ontario * Crowne Plaza Niagara Falls – Fallsview also known as the Brock Hotel, a hotel in Niagara Falls, Ontario * Brock Hotel Corp ...

(south Fulton) * Browns Lake (south Fulton) * Anneewakee Creek (Douglas) *

Basket Creek A basket is a container that is traditionally constructed from stiff fibers and can be made from a range of materials, including wood splints, runners, and cane. While most baskets are made from plant materials, other materials such as horsehai ...

(Douglas) * Bear Creek (Douglas) * Bear Creek (south Fulton) *

Tuggle Creek Tuggle is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Anthony Tuggle (born 1963), American football player *Brett Tuggle (1951–2022), American singer-songwriter * Carrie A. Tuggle (1858–1924), African-American educator, philanthropist ...

(south Fulton) *White Oak Creek (south Fulton) * Turkey Creek (south Fulton) * Gilberts Branch (Douglas) * Hurricane Creek (Carroll and Douglas) * Wolf Creek (Carroll) * Acorn Creek (Carroll) * Snake Creek (Carroll) *

Wahoo Creek Wahoo (''Acanthocybium solandri'') is a Scombridae, scombrid fish found worldwide in tropical and subtropical seas. It is best known to sports fishermen, as its speed and high-quality flesh makes it a prized and valued game fish. In Hawaii (isla ...

(Coweta) *'' Whitesburg gauge (WHTG1)'' * Mulberry Creek (

Harris Harris may refer to: Places Canada * Harris, Ontario * Northland Pyrite Mine (also known as Harris Mine) * Harris, Saskatchewan * Rural Municipality of Harris No. 316, Saskatchewan Scotland * Harris, Outer Hebrides (sometimes called the Isle o ...

and

Talbot Talbot was an automobile marque introduced in 1902 by English-French company Clément-Talbot. The founders, Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, 20th Earl of Shrewsbury and Adolphe Clément-Bayard, reduced their financial interests in their Clément-Talbot ...

) *

Pataula Creek Pataula Creek is a stream in Clay, Quitman, Randolph and Stewart counties in the U.S. state of Georgia. It empties into Walter F. George Lake on the Chattahoochee River. Pataula is a name most likely derived from the Muskogean language Musk ...

(Clay, Quitman, Randolph, and Stewart) * Bull Creek (Muscogee) *

Upatoi Creek Upatoi Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 15, 2011 river in western Georgia, just outside Columbus. It runs from Upatoi, through South Columbus, and to the ...

(Chattahoochee/Muscogee border and Marion/Talbot border) * Moores Creek (Langdale, AL) *''

gauge (WTPG1)'' *

West Point Lake West Point Lake is a man-made reservoir located mostly in west-central Georgia on the Chattahoochee River and maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). The Chattahoochee river flows in from the north, before flowing through the West ...

(Chambers, AL, Heard, GA, and Troup, GA) *

Lake Harding Lake Harding, also known as ''Bartlett's Ferry Lake,'' is a reservoir on the Chattahoochee River. The lake is formed by Bartlett's Ferry Dam, and the lake is located in Harris County, Georgia with some portions of the lake going into Alabama. L ...

(Harris, GA and Lee, AL) *

Goat Rock Lake Goat Rock Lake is a reservoir on the Chattahoochee River, which lies directly south of Bartlett's Ferry Dam (Lake Harding) and north of Lake Oliver Lake Oliver is a reservoir on the Chattahoochee River, which lies south of Goat Rock D ...

(Harris, GA and Lee, AL) *

(Lee, AL, Russell, AL, and Muscogee, GA) *''

gauge (CMUG1)'' *

(Barbour, Henry, Houston, and Russell, AL and Clay, Quitman, and Stewart, GA) * Omussee Creek (Houston, AL) *

(Jackson, FL, Decatur, GA, and Seminole, GA) 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.)

Popular culture

The beauty of the Chattahoochee River is commemorated in the poem ''The Song of the Chattahoochee'' (1877), by the noted Georgian poet

Sidney Lanier Sidney Clopton Lanier (February 3, 1842 – September 7, 1881) was an American musician, poet and author. He served in the Confederate States Army as a private, worked on a blockade-running ship for which he was imprisoned (resulting in his catch ...

on the Chattahoochee is named for him.

Country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

artist

Alan Jackson Alan Eugene Jackson (born October 17, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for blending traditional honky-tonk and mainstream country pop sounds (for a style widely regarded as "neotraditional country"), as well as penning many o ...

released his song "

Chattahoochee The Chattahoochee River forms the southern half of the Alabama and Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia border, as well as a portion of the Florida - Georgia border. It is a tributary of the Apalachicola River, a relatively short river formed by the con ...

" in 1993 as a single off his album ''

A Lot About Livin' (And a Little 'bout Love) ''A Lot about Livin' (and a Little 'bout Love)'' is the third studio album by American country music artist Alan Jackson. It was released on October 6, 1992, and produced the singles, "Chattahoochee", "She's Got the Rhythm (and I Got the Blues) ...

'' (the name of the album being the last line of the aforementioned song's chorus). "Chattahoochee" received

Country Music Association The Country Music Association (CMA) was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre. The objectives of the organization are to guide and enha ...

awards for Single of the Year and Song of the Year.

References

External links