The Chattahoochee River

The Chattahoochee River originates in the southeast corner of Union County, Georgia, in the southern Appalachian Mountains and flows southwesterly through the Atlanta metropolitan area before terminating in Lake Seminole, at the GeorgiaFlorida border. The river runs for a total distance of about 434 miles. The river joins with the Flint River as the two flow across the Georgia-Florida border, and the name changes to the Apalachicola River, which flows on to the Gulf of Mexico. Over the centuries, the river served as possibly the most important route for connecting the Gulf of Mexico to the interior of the nation. It allowed for Indian tribes to travel and trade, and it provided entry for white explorers and settlers. The Spanish traveled up the river as early as 1639 and tried to establish exclusive trade with the Creeks. The source of the Chattahoochee River is located in Jacks Gap at the southeastern foot of Jacks Knob, in the very southeastern corner of Union County, in the southern Blue Ridge Mountains. The headwaters of the river flow south from ridges that form the Tennessee Valley Divide. The Appalachian Trail crosses the river’s uppermost headwaters. The Chattahoochee’s source and upper course lie within Chattahoochee National Forest. The Chattahoochee River supplies 70 percent of metro Atlanta’s drinking water, which is more than 300 million gallons per day! The headwaters above Atlanta comprise the smallest watershed providing a major portion of water supply for any metropolitan area in the country. The river eventually turns due-south to form the southern half of the Georgia/Alabama state line. Flowing through a series of reservoirs and artificial lakes, it flows by Columbus, the third-largest city in Georgia, and the Fort Benning Army base. At Columbus, it crosses the Fall Line of the eastern United States. The Chattahoochee River ends in the city of Chattahoochee, FL. From there, the same river becomes the Apalachicola River, which ends 160 miles away in the city of Apalachicola, FL.

The Chattahoochee River was of considerable strategic importance during the Atlanta Campaign by Union General William Tecumseh Sherman in the American Civil War. 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 in early July 1864. Designed by Confederate Brigadier General Francis A. Shoup, the line became known as Johnston’s River Line after Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A month prior to the Battle of Atlanta, 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.

River Navigation

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 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 required evacuating numerous communities, including the historically majorityNative American settlement of Oketeyeconne, Georgia. The lakes were complete in 1963, covering over numerous historic and prehistoric sites of settlement.

The Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area is a 48-mile-long, 10,000-acre chain of parks that stretch south from the river’s dam at Lake Lanier. The river flows wide through metro Atlanta, coursing through angular shoals and over multiple dams. The river’s flow ranges from glassy, serene stretches to frothy, turbulent whitewater, offering a wide variety of onwater adventures.

Lake Lanier

Lake Lanier encompasses 38,000 surface acres of water with 540 miles of shoreline. There are many recreational areas with boat ramps and camping facilities. Marinas dot the shoreline and sailing, kayaking and boating clubs provide training and social

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activities. Lake Lanier is the most heavily used U.S. Army Corps of Engineers impoundment in the nation. Combined with its proximity to Atlanta, there is no wonder this lake is a recreational mecca with 10 million visitors annually. The Elachee Nature Science Center and the Lanier Museum of Natural History offer educational opportunities. For more information, visit https:// lakelanier.com/welcome/. Power generation is the single largest water use in the basin. Sixteen of the Chattahoochee River Basin’s 22 power-generating plants are located along the main stem of the Chattahoochee River. Beginning in the late twentieth century, the nonprofit organization called “Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper” has advocated for the preservation of the environment and ecology of the northern part of the river, especially the part traversing Metropolitan Atlanta. In 2010, a campaign to create a whitewater 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 Fall Line, as well as creating the longest urban whitewater course in the world. The Chattahoochee RiverWalk is a 22-mile walking and biking area along the Chattahoochee River in Columbus. The trail is paved with asphalt, concrete, or brick. Due to the RiverWalk bike path, Columbus has been listed by the League of American Bicyclists as one of the forty most Bicycle Friendly Communities in the United States.