133 Chattahoochee River Facts: Learn More About This Unique River

The Chattahoochee River is the largest and most important river in the state of Georgia.

The source of the Chattahoochee River is in the Blue Ridge Mountains is located in North Georgia. It runs through three states in total, Georgia, Florida, and Alabama.

The river is the largest and the most important source of drinking water, navigation, power generation, recreation, and more. Along with being the catalyst of development for the three states, the river also holds the history of the people that have lived on the banks of the Chattahoochee River for thousands of years.

Read on to know more interesting facts related to the amazing Chattahoochee River and if you like this article, then also check out Chenab River facts and Chicago River facts.

Fun Facts About Chattahoochee River

The Chattahoochee River is not only the most important river of Georgia but also a great source of life. This river serves as a reliable source of drinking water for large areas around and for recreation for many people as well.

The meaning of the Chattahoochee River's name comes from the Creek Indian Muskogee language where 'chato' means 'rock' and 'huchi' means 'marked'. The river's name means 'marked rocks' or 'painted rocks'. Along the southwest to the northeast segment of the river, there are colorful granite outcroppings. The name was probably adapted from this.

The river drains a total area of 8,770 sq mi (22,714 sq km).

Chattahoochee is the most heavily used waterbody in Georgia. The river may be the most important one in Georgia, but it's one of the smallest river systems of the United States that provides water supply to one of the major metropolitan cities of the country, Atlanta.

The river is responsible for around 70% of the drinking water of metro Atlanta.

This 70% equates to over 300 million gals (1,364 million L) of drinking water every day. The smallest watershed of the country that provides the most amount of water supply for any metropolitan city in the country is located at the headwaters above Atlanta.

According to an official database, the Chattahoochee River basin lost 67.3 million gals (306 million L) of water per day through interbasin transfers, and the Chattahoochee River basin gained 20.6 million gals (93.6 million L) of water per day through interbasin transfers.

A total of 13 dams have been built on the Chattahoochee River.

Among these 13, a total of five dams are operated by the United States Army Corps of Engineers.

Those five dams are, the George W. Andrews Lock and Dam located at the Early County in southwest Georgia; the West Point Dam located at west-central Georgia; the Jim Woodruff Lock and Dam located at the Apalachicola River, mainly at the confluence of Chattahoochee River and Flint River; the Walter F. George Lock and Dam located at the Alabama-Georgia borderline; and the Buford Dam located at the upper part of the northern part of Georgia.

Most of these dams make large lakes like Lake Lanier is made by the Buford Dam and Lake Seminole is made by the Jim Woodruff Lock and Dam.

The Chattahoochee River is very unpredictable and possesses many dangers. That's why swimming in many parts of the river is off-limits for obvious reasons, so swimming is not that of a common activity done on the river. However, many people do go swimming in the river and the activity is termed as 'shooting the Hooch' or 'tubing'.

Geographical Facts About Chattahoochee River

The Chattahoochee River not only plays an important role in the development surrounding the river, but it also has a great geographical significance from forming the Georgia-Florida border and Alabama-Georgia border to joining with the Flint River to form the Apalachicola River.

The course of the Chattahoochee River begins at many headstreams of the Blue Ridge Mountains located at the southeast corner of Union County in north Georgia. The river flows for 434 mi (698 km) from the source to its confluence with the Flint River.

Then the river runs southwest across northern Georgia towards West Point. It goes southwards from there and then the Chattahoochee River forms the Alabama-Georgia border and the Georgia-Florida border. Finally, the river joins the Flint River and then forms the Apalachicola River.

The Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River basin is the watershed or drainage basin of the Apalachicola River, the Chattahoochee River, and the Flint River. The Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River basin is also known as the Apalachicola River basin.

It's located between Georgia, Florida, and Alabama. The water from the river basin is a great source of drinking water for all three states.

Hence, there have been disputes among these three states for a long time. In the upper parts of the Chattahoochee River basin, the population has increased a lot in Atlanta and the usage of water from the Chattahoochee River basin has increased for drinking water, navigation, agriculture, power generation, recreation, and more.

This has created many problems between Georgia, Florida, and Alabama. The Chattahoochee River is navigable from the city, Columbus to its mouth.

Chattahoochee River's Ecosystem

The Chattahoochee River houses all kinds of animal species in Florida, Alabama, and Georgia. The ecosystem of the Chattahoochee River is quite rich in wildlife, starting from insects and amphibians to large mammals. The pollution in the river is decreasing, so the wildlife is thriving.

The river itself is home to many species of fish, amphibians, and insects. You can observe catfish, bass, trout, and more than 20 other fish species in the river. When it comes to birds, more than 240 species are found in and around the surrounding areas of the river.

You might see a blue heron flying above the river or hear the sweet sounds of some more birds. There are plains, mountains, forests, and more surrounding the river.

White-tailed deer, rabbits, and many more species call the forests their home. Fawns are a regular sight during the late summers. When dusk approaches, frogs, owls, bats, insects, toads, and more species are seen in abundance.

The dissolved oxygen level in the 1960-70s became threatening for the fish species in the river.

However, since then some nonprofit organizations, like the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper and more have been keeping watch on the pollution levels in the river. According to their reports, the river is much clearer now compared to the situation it was in as sewage spills have decreased a lot in the last few decades.

The US Geological Survey, in addition to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, monitors most parts of the Chattahoochee River, and more work on making the river pollution-free is going on.

Pollution levels may have gone down, but it's not safe to consume the fish from the river. According to reports from the Department of Natural Resources, in some areas of the Chattahoochee River, the levels of toxins are pretty high.

Some places along with the river show contamination from mercury, PCB or polychlorinated biphenyls, and more.

This, however, doesn't stop many veteran anglers who still frequent the river for a good catch. Experts in Muscogee County recommend that you can eat comparatively larger fish, like bass once a week or once a month owing to the high mercury level which can cause health problems.

There are alligators in the Chattahoochee River, but not throughout the entire river. The alligators that live alongside the river reproduce only downstream of the river in Columbus, mainly in warmer waters. There have been many rumors of alligator sightings in the middle and upper parts of Chattahoochee, but these probably have happened owing to the relocation by humans.

Historical Facts About Chattahoochee River

For hundreds of years, the river has given a lot to the humans that have built their lives surrounding it from being the central point for drinking water to heavy transportation traffic, and more. The river in turn holds the stories of our history.

Archaeologists have found out that people have been living at the Chattahoochee River banks for quite a long time. The age of the Kolomoki complex, which is located near present-day Blakely can be dated back to 1000 B.C.

and it's one of the best examples of the ancient civilizations that lived there. According to research findings, at least 16 significant settlements could be seen along the Chattahoochee’s banks south of its fall line during the 800-1600 A.D., in the Mississippian Period.

We may not see the river being used for transportation frequently now, but it was one of the main means of transportation not so long ago. The native populations of the Chattahoochee Valley would rely greatly on the river for transportation for their trades and communications for centuries.

The existence of the city, Columbus, Georgia is probably owed to the fact that the city is situated at such a place that it becomes the river's head of navigation.

Not only its existence, but the Chattahoochee River has also played an extremely important part in the economic development of the city of Columbus in Georgia. Mainly the river-powered industrial output helped the city reach such lengths that during the Civil War, the city was ranked one of the leading industrial centers of the country's south.

In terms of southern textile production, it also became the second-largest. The regional water-powered industries became an important supporting factor for the Confederate war efforts.

The river has played a noteworthy role in the economic development of its surrounding areas as well as built cultural heritage. The natural beauty of the river has inspired imagination in all artists for a long time.

Musicians, photographers, authors, poets, film and TV producers, artists, all have tried to capture the emotions the river had held over them. An Alabama native from Coffee County, Jessie Dubose Rhoads drew more than 150 paintings on the lives of the Chattahoochee River natives in the early 1900s.

Sydney Lanier was a renowned musician who was born in Georgia. He wrote the poem, 'Song of the Chattahoochee' which depicts the beauty of Georgia along the river.

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