Standing Up For The Rivers We Love
From rushing rapids to meandering streams, Georgia’s rivers are among the state’s most beloved places. Our rivers are our primary sources of clean drinking water, our most popular sites for kayaking, camping and hiking, and home to a rich diversity of aquatic species.
Unfortunately, Georgia has been remiss in its stewardship of our rivers. Rampant development has led to degraded waters due to dirt, oil and other runoff pollution. More than 3,200 miles of our rivers are already too polluted for fishing and swimming.
Threats to our clean water increase as new homes and roads are built. We need to identify our most extraordinary rivers and provide them with higher levels of protection before it’s too late.
Waterways That Needs Protection Now
Environment Georgia is calling on the state to extend immediate protections to:
Conasauga River—From its headwaters high in the mountains of the Chattahoochee National Forest, the Conasauga flows north to Tennessee and then back into Georgia to provide clean water to North Georgia residents. It is home to more endangered species than any other river in Georgia. Biologists even travel to Georgia to study its biodiversity. The Conasauga has been named one of the country’s top 100 trout fishing streams, and many Georgians enjoy swimming at the river’s snorkeling hole every summer. Unfortunately, the clear Conasauga headwaters could fall victim to the construction of new mountain homes.
Chattahoochee—“The Hooch” is one of the state’s most important ecological and economic assets. From its headwaters at a spring near the start of the Appalachian Trail, it flows south to provide drinking water to more than four million Georgians, Alabamians and Floridians. North of Helen, the Chattahoochee is well known for camping, hiking, picnicking, fishing and tubing. The headwaters in the Blue Ridge Mountains are threatened by a proposed interstate highway that would run along the river.
Jacks River—The Jacks River flows almost parallel to the Conasauga River before it joins it near the Georgia-Tennessee border. The Jacks is a popular place for camping, hiking and trout fishing. Many visitors camp in the Jacks River fields and hike for several miles to see the 60-foot Jacks River Falls.
While most of the river runs through federal lands, parcels of private land have recently been sold to build new mountain homes—putting the headwaters at risk for runoff pollution.
The state must act now to ensure Georgia’s most outstanding rivers are protected for the benefit of future generations.
The Georgia Board Of Natural Resources
Must Act Now To Protect Our Rivers
New homes and subdivisions are not just appearing in the
suburbs, but also in some of the most wild and wonderful
parts of the state—threatening to pollute our most
outstanding rivers. That’s why we are working with local
community leaders and other environmental organizations
to urge the Georgia Board of Natural Resources to:
• Designate Georgia’s first Outstanding National Resource Waters: Under the Clean Water Act, we can add an extra layer of protection for ecologically, recreationally, culturally or scenically significant rivers by designating them Outstanding National Resource Waters.
• Improve the Outstanding Waters program: The nomination process should be made less onerous. Nominations should be accepted anytime by either the public or upon the recommendation of the Georgia Environmental Protection Department.
• Build an Outstanding Rivers legacy: The Board of Natural Resources should commit to providing more stringent protections for 10 of the state’s top unspoiled waters by 2010.
