The Chattahoochee River () is a

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

in the Southeastern

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. It forms the southern half of the

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

and

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

border, as well as a portion of the

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

and Georgia border. It is a tributary of the

Apalachicola River The Apalachicola River is a river, approximately long, in the state of Florida. The river's large drainage basin, watershed, known as the ACF River Basin, Apalachicola, Chattahoochee and Flint (ACF) River Basin, drains an area of approximately ...

, 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. Historically, flint was widely used to make stone tools and start ...

rivers and emptying from Florida into

Apalachicola Bay Apalachicola Bay is an estuary and lagoon located on the northwest coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The Apalachicola Bay system also includes St. George Sound, St. Vincent Sound and East Bay, covering an area of about . Four islands, St. Vinc ...

in the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...

. 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 Apalachicola–Chattahoochee–Flint 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 know ...

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

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land in which 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, ...

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 ...

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 ...

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

Blue Ridge Mountains The Blue Ridge Mountains are a Physiographic regions of the United States, physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Highlands range. The mountain range is located in the Eastern United States and extends 550 miles southwest from southern ...

, a subrange of the

Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, are a mountain range in eastern to northeastern North America. The term "Appalachian" refers to several different regions associated with the mountain range, and its surrounding terrain ...

. 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 Tra ...

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

Chattahoochee National Forest The Chattahoochee River () is a river in the Southeastern United States. It forms the southern half of the Alabama and Georgia border, as well as a portion of the Florida and Georgia border. It is a tributary of the Apalachicola River, a rela ...

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

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

and through its

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

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 (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

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, the capital city of the U.S. state of Ohio * Columbus, Georgia, a city i ...

, the second-largest city in Georgia, and the

Fort Benning Fort Benning (named Fort Moore from 2023–2025) is a United States Army post in the Columbus, Georgia area. Located on Georgia's border with Alabama, Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve compone ...

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 noticeable especially the place rivers cross it, with resulting rapids or waterfalls. The uplands are relatively hard crystalline basement rock, and the ...

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 Jam ...

to Fort Benning, the

Chattahoochee Riverwalk The Chattahoochee RiverWalk is a 22-mile walking and biking area along the Chattahoochee River in Columbus, Georgia, United States. The trail is paved with asphalt, concrete, or brick. Due to the RiverWalk bike path, Columbus has been listed by t ...

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 th ...

and other tributaries at

Lake Seminole Lake Seminole (, ) is a reservoir located in the southwest corner of Georgia along its border with Florida, maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Chattahoochee and Flint rivers join in the lake, before flowing from the Jim Woodr ...

near Bainbridge, to form the

that flows into the

Florida Panhandle The Florida panhandle (also known as West Florida and Northwest Florida) is the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Florida. It is a Salient (geography), salient roughly long, bordered by Alabama on the west and north, Georgia (U.S. state ...

. 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. It is part of the Tallahassee, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,955 as of the 2020 census, down from 3,652 at the ...

. From there, the same river is then named Apalachicola River, which ends (106 miles away) in the city of Apalachicola, FL (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 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 (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, 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 coo ...

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

Brevard fault zone Brevard may refer to: People * Aleshia Brevard (1937–2017), American author and actress * Caroline Mays Brevard (1860–1920), American historian * John Brevard, American artist * Joseph Brevard (1760–1821), American soldier and politician * ...

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 The Eutaw Formation is a geological Formation (geology), formation in North America, within the United States, U.S. states of Alabama, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, and Mississippi. The strata date from the late Coniacian to the early Santonian S ...

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 Quartzite is a hard, non- foliated metamorphic rock that was originally pure quartz sandstone.Essentials of Geology, 3rd Edition, Stephen Marshak, p 182 Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tecton ...

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 The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...

Early history

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

indigenous peoples There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

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 350 to 600, the mound complex is located in southwest Georgia, i ...

, now protected in the Kolomoki Mounds Historic Park near present-day Blakely in

Early County Early County is a county located on the southwest border of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,854. The county seat is Blakely, where the Early County Courthouse is located. Created on December 15, 1818, i ...

, southwest Georgia, were built between 350 AD and 650 AD and constitute the largest mound complex in the state.

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 officer, general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), earning recognit ...

of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. 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 (CSA), 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), fi ...

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 Joseph Eggleston Johnston (February 3, 1807 – March 21, 1891) was an American military officer who served in the United States Army during the Mexican–American War (1846–1848) and the Seminole Wars. After Virginia declared secession from ...

and is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. A month prior to the

Battle of Atlanta The Battle of Atlanta took place during the Atlanta Campaign of 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, Union forces ...

, 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), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

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, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

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 also known as Lake Eufaula, in Eufaula, Alabama, required evacuating numerous communities, including the historically majority-Native American settlement of Oketeyeconne, Georgia."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 a United States environmental advocacy organization with 10,000 members dedicated solely to protecting and restoring the Chattahoochee River Basin. ...

" 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–Roswell metropolitan statistical area, is the most populous metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), ...

. In 2010, a campaign to create a

whitewater Whitewater forms in the context of rapids, in particular, when a river's Stream gradient, gradient changes enough to generate so much turbulence that air is trapped within the water. This forms an unstable current that foam, froths, making t ...

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, Lake Eufaula,

, and George W. Andrews, lakes are controlled by the

United States Army Corps of Engineers The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the military engineering branch of the United States Army. A direct reporting unit (DRU), it has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil wo ...

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

flood control Flood management or flood control are methods used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters. Flooding can be caused by a mix of both natural processes, such as extreme weather upstream, and human changes to waterbodies and ru ...

, domestic and industrial water,

hydroelectricity Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

, 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 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, t ...

, which is held by the

Morgan Falls Dam Morgan Falls Dam is 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. Originally constructed in 1904 b ...

. This dam was built by the Georgia Railway and Power Company 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 in the Northeast Georgia, Northeast region of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 46,031. The county seat is C ...

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, being located about northeast of Atlanta city limits. In 2020, the population was 957,062, making it the ...

* Fulton County and Gwinnett County *

Sandy Springs Sandy Springs is a city in northern Fulton County, Georgia, United States, and a suburb of Atlanta. The city's population was 108,080 at the 2020 census, making it Georgia's 7th most populous city. It is the site of several corporate headquar ...

and Roswell *

Cobb County Cobb County is a county in the U.S. state of Georgia, and is a core county of the Atlanta metropolitan area in the north-central portion of the state. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 766,149. It is the state's third most populous cou ...

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

Coweta County Coweta County is a county in the West Central region 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-Sandy S ...

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

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 ...

* Georgetown, Georgia and

Eufaula, Alabama Eufaula is the largest city in Barbour County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 census the city's population was 13,137. History The site along the Chattahoochee River that is now modern-day Eufaula was occupied by three Muscogee Cre ...

Atlanta

Atlanta is built upon the crest of a large ridge, rather than in the floodplain of the river. This has contributed to 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 oppor ...

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 wikt:uptown, uptown commercial and residential district of the city of Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, comprising approximately the northernmost fifth of the city. Buckhead is the third largest business district within ...

East Cobb East Cobb is an unincorporated community in Cobb County, Georgia, United States, with a population of 164,055 people. History The area was developed as a suburb of Atlanta beginning in the 1960s. In contrast to other northern suburbs of Atlanta, ...

, Roswell, Dunwoody,

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 U.S. census. Peachtree Corners is the on ...

Duluth Duluth ( ) is a Port, port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County, Minnesota, St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population ...

, Johns Creek, 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 Seawater, salt-water bivalve molluscs that live in Marine (ocean), marine or Brackish water, brackish habitats. In some species, the valves are highly Calcification, calcified, a ...

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 sewerage, sewer system. Sewage consists of wastewater discharged fro ...

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 join ...

, which flow to the Atlantic Seaboard via the

Altamaha River The Altamaha River is a major river in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It flows generally eastward for from its Source (river or stream), origin at the confluence of the Oconee River and Ocmulgee River towards the Atlantic Oce ...

. Interest groups and the state of Florida have asked the

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a bicameral legislature, including a lower body, the U.S. House of Representatives, and an upper body, the U.S. Senate. They both ...

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 County, Georgia, Forsyth and Fulton County, Georgia, Fulton counties in G ...

* Johns Creek * Sweetwater Creek * Nancy Creek * Peachtree Creek *

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, 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 e ...

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 ...

in Peachtree City estimated that this was a

500-year flood A 100-year flood, also called a 1% flood,Holmes, R.R., Jr., and Dinicola, K. (2010) ''100-Year flood–it's all about chance 'U.S. Geological Survey General Information Product 106/ref> is a flood event at a level that is reached or exceeded onc ...

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 v ...

s are located: * at Helen (near downtown) * near Cornelia (6 miles or 10 km northwest of) * near Buford (4 miles or 6 km northwest of) immediately down from Buford Dam * near Norcross (5 miles or 8 km north of) on

Medlock Bridge Medlock may refer to: * Medlock (surname) * River Medlock, a river of Greater Manchester * 19704 Medlock, an outer main-belt asteroid * Chorlton-on-Medlock Chorlton-on-Medlock is an inner city area of Manchester, England. Historic counties ...

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 transp ...

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. ...

) 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 rural 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 a ...

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 an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''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 into which they ...

creek A creek in North America and elsewhere, such as Australia, is a stream that is usually smaller than a river. In the British Isles it is a small tidal inlet. Creek may also refer to: * Creek people, a former name of Muscogee, Native Americans * C ...

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 strea ...

s, and

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 ft ...

(White) * Smith Creek (White) *

Chickamauga Creek North and South Chickamauga Creek are short tributaries of the Tennessee River, which join it near Chattanooga, Tennessee, on the north and the south. West Chickamauga Creek is a much longer tributary of South Chickamauga Creek. Course The two C ...

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

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

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

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 the 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 gre ...

, 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 Mounta ...

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

(Forsyth) * Johns Creek (Forsyth and north Fulton, city of

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

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

Young Deer Creek Young Deer Creek is a stream in Forsyth County in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is a tributary to the Chattahoochee River. It sits on an elevation of 1070 feet (326 meters). Young Deer Creek most likely is named after a local Cherokee Indian. A ...

(Forsyth) * Four Mile Creek (Forsyth) * Dick Creek (Forsyth) *

Level Creek Level Creek is a stream in Gwinnett County in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is a tributary that rises at Sugar Hill and flows westerly into the Chattahoochee River The Chattahoochee River () is a river in the Southeastern United States, Sou ...

(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 is ...

(Cobb/Fulton border) *

and

* Ball Mill Creek ( DeKalb 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 County, Georgia, Cobb and Fulton County, Georgia, Fulton counties in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is a tributary to the Chattahoochee River. Groundwater serves as the water source, with t ...

(Cobb) * Owl Creek (Cobb) * Rottenwood Creek (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 Chattahooche ...

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

(VING1)'' * Peachtree Creek (Fulton) * Proctor Creek (Fulton) * Cabin Creek (Fulton) * Camp Creek (Fulton) * Charlie's Trapping Creek (Fulton) * Crooked Creek (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'' Un ...

(Douglas) * Hewlett Creek (Fulton) * Long Island Creek (Fulton) * Marsh Creek (Fulton) * Whitewater Creek (Troup) * Sandy Creek (Fulton) * Sweetwater Creek (Cobb, Douglas, and Paulding) * Pea Creek (south Fulton) * Pine Creek (south Fulton) * Deep Creek (south Fulton) *Mill Branch (south Fulton) * Brock Branch (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 horseh ...

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

Acorn Creek Acorn Creek is a stream in Carroll County, Georgia, Carroll County in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, at an elevation of above mean sea level. It is a tributary to the Chattahoochee River with a discharge rate of 2.74 Cubic foot ...

(Carroll) * Snake Creek (Carroll) * Wahoo Creek (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 ...

and

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

) * Pataula Creek (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 th ...

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

gauge (WTPG1)'' * West Point Lake (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 border between Georgia and Alabama traverses the main channel along the western side of the lak ...

(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. The lake is created by the Goat Rock Dam and Generating Plant. The name of the dam and lake ...

(Harris, GA and Lee, AL) *

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

gauge (CMUG1)'' * Walter F. George Lake (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 popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

artist

Alan Jackson Alan Eugene Jackson (born October 17, 1958) is an American country music singer-songwriter. He is known for performing a style widely regarded as "neotraditional country", as well as writing many of his own songs. Jackson has recorded 21 studi ...

released his song "

Chattahoochee The Chattahoochee River () is a river in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern United States. It forms the southern half of the Alabama and Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia border, as well as a portion of the Florida and Georgia border. It ...

" 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 Blu ...

'' (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) is an American trade association with the stated aim of promoting and developing country music throughout the world. Founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee, it originally consisted of 233 members and was the f ...

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

Juan María Solare Juan María Solare (born August 11, 1966) is an Argentina, Argentine composer and pianist. Education Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Solare studied and received his diploma in piano (María Teresa Criscuolo), Musical composition, composition (F ...

wrote a piano piece called ''Chattahoochee River'', technically a slow blues with a central faster section.

References

External links