Chattahoochee River

The Chattahoochee River is a river in the Southeastern United States. It forms part of the border between Alabama and Georgia, and also touches the border between Florida and Georgia. The river is about 430 miles (690 kilometers) long, making it an important waterway.

The Chattahoochee River flows into the Apalachicola River, which starts when the Chattahoochee meets the Flint River. Together, these rivers empty into Apalachicola Bay in the Gulf of Mexico. This whole system is called the Apalachicola–Chattahoochee–Flint River Basin, or the ACF River Basin.

The Chattahoochee River is the largest part of this basin. It helps provide water for plants, animals, and communities along its path.

Course

The Chattahoochee River begins in the southern Blue Ridge Mountains, part of the larger Appalachian Mountains, near Union County. It flows south through Atlanta and nearby areas. Then it turns and forms part of the border between Georgia and Alabama.

The river continues past cities like Columbus and meets the Flint River to become the Apalachicola River. The Apalachicola River flows into the Florida Panhandle and ends in the town of Chattahoochee, FL, before reaching the Gulf of Mexico.

Etymology

The name Chattahoochee comes from a Muskogee word. It means "rocks-marked" or "painted." This name probably refers to the colorful granite rocks along the river. The river flows through an area with many interesting rock shapes.

History

The Chattahoochee River has a long and interesting history. Its current path has existed for at least 100 million years. Indigenous peoples lived near the river as far back as 1000 BC, building large earth mounds like those at the Kolomoki Mounds near Blakely, Georgia.

During the American Civil War, the river was very important for Union General William Tecumseh Sherman’s campaign to capture Atlanta. The river had defensive fortifications built by the Confederate Army, which Sherman tried to go around. Two major battles happened at important river crossings.

In more recent times, the river has been used for transportation, power, and recreation. In the 1940s, Congress approved building dams to create lakes like Walter F. George Lake, which flooded many old communities. Today, groups work to protect the river’s environment. In Columbus, Georgia, a special whitewater course was built between 2010 and 2013, returning the river to its natural path and creating a unique urban whitewater area.

Main article: Atlanta campaign
Main articles: Walter F. George Lake, Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper

Modifications

See also: List of crossings of the Chattahoochee River

The Chattahoochee River has several large lakes created by dams. These lakes, such as Lanier, Lake Eufaula, West Point, and George W. Andrews, are managed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. The dams were built to help control flooding, supply water, create energy, and offer places to enjoy the outdoors.

The Georgia Power Company also has a few smaller dams along part of the river near Columbus. There are even smaller lakes and dams that help with local needs, like Bull Sluice Lake, which is held back by the Morgan Falls Dam. This dam was built to make electricity for Atlanta’s old trolley system.

River borders

The Chattahoochee River helps create borders between several places. In Georgia, it separates areas like Habersham County and White County, Forsyth County and Hall County, and many more places. It also forms part of the border between Alabama and Georgia.

Atlanta

Atlanta is built on high ground, not in the floodplain of the river. This helps keep the river’s natural beauty as it flows through the city. North of Atlanta, the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area protects parts of the riverbanks.

The river winds through the hilly northern suburbs of Atlanta. Some neighborhoods near the river include Vinings, Buckhead, Sandy Springs, East Cobb, Roswell, Dunwoody, Peachtree Corners, Duluth, Johns Creek, and Berkeley Lake.

As Atlanta has grown, it has used more water from the river. This affects places farther down the river, like the oysters in the Apalachicola Bay of Florida, which need a mix of fresh and saltwater. Some groups and the state of Florida have asked the U.S. Congress to help share water fairly among Georgia, Florida, and Alabama. This disagreement over water use is still being solved.

Flooding

The Chattahoochee River has had big floods over the years. In November 2009, heavy rains from Tropical Storm Ida caused major flooding near Roswell. Another big flood happened later in 2009 from Hurricane Fred. These were some of the highest water levels ever recorded since the Buford Dam was built.

Gauges

The main stream gauges along the Chattahoochee River are found in several places. These include locations near Helen, Cornelia, Buford, Norcross, Roswell, below Morgan Falls Dam, at Vinings, near Campbellton, at Whitesburg, Franklin, West Point, Columbus, Walter F. George Dam, and George W. Andrews Lake.

Water-level forecasts are mainly given for Vinings and Atlanta, with extra forecasts during high water at Norcross, Whitesburg, West Point, and the dams at Lake Walter F. George and Andrews. Other locations only have observations.

Tributaries

The Chattahoochee River has many smaller rivers, creeks, and streams that flow into it. Some of these include Dukes Creek, Smith Creek, Chickamauga Creek, Soque River, Lake Lanier, Peachtree Creek, Sweetwater Creek, and Lake Seminole. These smaller water ways come from different places and add their water to the main river as it moves. The list of these smaller rivers and streams is very long and not completely shown here. Some of them are now under lakes made by dams, so it can be hard to know exactly where they once met the river.

Popular culture

The Chattahoochee River has inspired many artists. In 1877, poet Sidney Lanier wrote a famous poem called "The Song of the Chattahoochee" about the river. A lake on the river, Lake Lanier, is named after him.

Country music artist Alan Jackson wrote a popular song titled "Chattahoochee" in 1993. The song won awards from the Country Music Association. Composer Juan María Solare also wrote a piano piece named Chattahoochee River.