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Chattooga River Chatuga | |
---|---|
Location | |
Country | United States |
States | North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | Chattooga River |
• location | Cashiers, North Carolina |
• coordinates | 35°07′08″N83°07′05″W / 35.119°N 83.118°W |
• elevation | 1,187 m (3,894 ft) |
Mouth | Tugaloo River |
• location | Tallulah Falls, Georgia |
• coordinates | 34°43′01″N83°21′11″W / 34.717°N 83.353°W |
• elevation | 279 m (915 ft) |
Length | 57 mi (92 km) |
Basin size | 721.5 km2 (278.6 sq mi) |
Basin features | |
Progression | Tugaloo River → Savannah River → Atlantic Ocean |
River system | Savannah River |
Type | Wild, Scenic, Recreational |
Designated | May 10, 1974 |
The Chattooga River (also spelled Chatooga, Chatuga, and Chautaga, variant name Guinekelokee River) is the main tributary of the Tugaloo River.
The headwaters of the Chattooga River are located southwest of Cashiers, North Carolina, and it stretches 57 miles (92 km) [1] to its confluence with the Tallulah River within Lake Tugalo, which was created by the Tugalo Dam. The Chattooga begins in southern Jackson County, North Carolina, and flows southwestward between northwestern Oconee County, South Carolina, and eastern Rabun County, Georgia. The "Chattooga" spelling was approved by the US Board on Geographic Names in 1897. [2]
The Chattooga and the Tallulah rivers combine to make the Tugaloo River, which is considered to start at the outlet of Lake Tugalo. Downriver from the Tugaloo's confluence with the Seneca River, it is known as the Savannah River below Lake Hartwell. Downstream from that point, the water flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Savannah, Georgia.
The Chattooga was the model for the fictional 'Cahulawassee River' in James Dickey's novel, Deliverance (1970). Scenes for the 1972 film of the same name were shot along the Chattooga River.
The Chattooga River serves as part of the boundary between Georgia and South Carolina near latitude 35°N. The Chattooga was not the original boundary line between South Carolina and Georgia. A treaty of 1816 between the United States and the Cherokee extended the South Carolina boundary to its current location. Prior to 1816, the Chattooga flowed through the ancient homeland of the Cherokee Indian Nation. A Cherokee town known as Chattooga was located along the upper river. The people were forced to cede this territory to the United States.
The Blue Ridge Mountains, where the Chattooga starts, are considered to be ancient, even by geological standards. The rock is mostly granite. Geologists believe that the Chattooga may have made one direction change during its life. Originally, it probably flowed southwesterly into the Chattahoochee River and on to the Gulf of Mexico. At some point, the Savannah River eroded its northern headland until it captured the Chattooga and diverted its waters to the Atlantic.
The rocks in the riverbed probably fell from the ridge above, but such rocks do not necessarily remain where they fall. In times of great downpours, high water, and fast currents, rocks can become dislodged and move downstream, taking other rocks and debris with them. During Hurricane Ivan in 2004, the wind force and waters knocked big boulders off the banks of the river. The hurricane dropped so much water in the Chattooga watershed that the river was recorded at its highest flow rate, around 26,000 cu ft/s (740 m3/s) to 28,000 cu ft/s (790 m3/s), rivaling the typical flow of the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon.
Since May 10, 1974, the Chattooga River has been protected along a 15,432-acre (6,245 ha) corridor as a national Wild and Scenic River. 39.8 miles (64.1 km) of the river have been designated “wild”, about 2.5 miles (4.0 km) “scenic”, and 14.6 miles (23.5 km) “recreational” for a total of about 57 miles (92 km). On the commercially rafted sections (III and IV) there is a 1/4 mile protected corridor of National Forest on both sides of the river, allowing no roads to the river or development of any kind. There are a few areas on the river where access has been made more accessible on Section III, but much of Section IV is fairly remote. The Chattooga also bisects the Ellicott Rock Wilderness which straddles three states (Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina) and three National Forests (the Chattahoochee, Nantahala and Sumter National Forests). The Georgia portion of the river is in the Chattooga River Ranger District of the Chattahoochee National Forest.
Known as the "Crown Jewel" of the southeast, the Chattooga was the first river east of the Mississippi to be granted the Wild & Scenic designation, and is still the only one that is commercially rafted.
The river is split into three forks. The Chattooga River is the main fork, running along the state line. The East Fork Chattooga River (sometimes East Prong Chattooga River) runs in from Jackson County, North Carolina and then Oconee County, South Carolina, and is 7.4 miles (11.9 km) long. [1] The West Fork Chattooga River (variant name Gumekoloke Creek) runs 6.0 miles (9.7 km) [1] in from Rabun County, Georgia, and is also a variant name for that county's Holcomb Creek, one of its own tributaries.
One of the largest tributaries in the Chattooga basin that flows mainly through private lands is Stekoa Creek, which flows primarily southeast for approximately 18 miles (29 km) [1] from its headwaters in Mountain City, Georgia, through Clayton, Georgia, to its mouth at the Chattooga River. Stekoa Creek has been identified as the single greatest threat to the Chattooga's water quality. This is due primarily to raw sewage leaking from the City of Clayton's old sewage collection system, overflowing storm drains, runoff laden with sediment, poor agricultural practices, failing septic systems, and illegal dumping. [3] Non-profit organizations, such as the Chattooga Conservancy, have made improving water quality in Stekoa Creek a top priority. [3] The Stekoa Creek Basin is approximately 45 square miles (120 km2) in size.
In the late spring, the river is lined with blooming pink and white mountain laurel. Early spring is also a great time to go rafting, kayaking, or canoeing because of the higher flows and cooler temperatures. The Chattooga is a free-flowing river (no upstream dam to control the flow) which quickly responds to rainfall or drought conditions. As a drop-pool style river, rapids are followed by calm pools for swimming.
The Chattooga headwaters are located in the Whiteside Mountain area on the Blue Ridge escarpment near Cashiers, NC. Flowing through Cashiers as a small stream, the upper stretches (Sections 00, 0, and 1) are excellent trout waters and, depending on water level, are either not boatable or restricted. Section 1, beginning at Burrell's Ford, is very hazardous and restricted to certain months and water levels. The West Fork, sometimes incorrectly referred to as Section 1, is ideal for tubing and class II float trips. It begins at the Overflow Road Bridge and terminates at the Section 2 put-in. [4] Section 2, starting at Highway 28, is a class II float. [5] Section 3 has Class II-IV rapids which rafters and kayakers frequent. The final rapid in Section 3 is Bull Sluice. [6] Section 4 includes Class II-V rapids, including the famous Five Falls (five class III-V rapids in roughly a 1/4 mile stretch). [7] The minimum age requirement to raft Section 3 is eight, and Section 4 is twelve. A number of signature rapids on this river were featured in the motion picture Deliverance .
The Forest Plan, issued in 1976 and revised in January 2004, restricted motorized craft, closed many roads to the river, and prohibited floating on the upper 21 miles (34 km) of river. This plan was challenged by several boating advocacy groups, causing the United States Forest Service to withdraw the plan of 2004 and ordering a Visitor Use Capacity Analysis. [8]
The USFS issued its final decision in January 2012. [9] The decision expanded boating onto some sections of the upper Chattooga, including Section 1, with a number of restrictions based on season, section of river, property ownership, time of day, and water level. The decision has proved controversial due to the excessive number of deaths that have occurred on the river in this area. Boating remains illegal above Greens Creek and below Licklog Creek. This section is difficult, commonly contains flood debris, flows infrequently, and will likely see limited whitewater use.
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: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)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 relatively short river formed by the confluence of the Chattahoochee and Flint rivers and emptying from Florida into Apalachicola Bay in the Gulf of Mexico. The Chattahoochee River is about 430 miles (690 km) long. The Chattahoochee, Flint, and Apalachicola rivers together make up the Apalachicola–Chattahoochee–Flint River Basin. The Chattahoochee makes up the largest part of the ACF's drainage basin.
The Tallulah River is a 47.7-mile-long (76.8 km) river in Georgia and North Carolina. It begins in Clay County, North Carolina, near Standing Indian Mountain in the Southern Nantahala Wilderness and flows south into Georgia, crossing the state line into Towns County. The river travels through Rabun County and ends in Habersham County. It cuts through the Tallulah Dome rock formation to form the Tallulah Gorge and its several waterfalls. The Tallulah River intersects with the Chattooga River to form the Tugaloo River at Lake Tugalo in Habersham County. It joins South Carolina's Seneca River at Lake Hartwell to form the Savannah River, which flows southeastward into the Atlantic Ocean.
The Lehigh River is a 109-mile-long (175 km) tributary of the Delaware River in eastern Pennsylvania. The river flows in a generally southward pattern from the Pocono Mountains in Northeastern Pennsylvania through Allentown and much of the Lehigh Valley before joining the Delaware River in Easton.
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The Watauga River is a large stream of western North Carolina and East Tennessee. It is 78.5 miles (126.3 km) long with its headwaters in Linville Gap to the South Fork Holston River at Boone Lake.
The Nantahala River is a river in western North Carolina in the United States, within the Nantahala National Forest, and near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Two-lane U.S. Highway 19/74 runs along the river, picnic areas dotting the route. In 1839, this was an unimproved large path, part of what became known as the Trail of Tears as the Cherokee people were forcibly removed from their homelands in this region to west of the Mississippi River and Indian Territory.
The Tugaloo River is a 45.9-mile-long (73.9 km) river that forms part of the border between the U.S. states of Georgia and South Carolina. It was named for the historic Cherokee town of Tugaloo at the mouth of Toccoa Creek, south of present-day Toccoa, Georgia and Travelers Rest State Historic Site in Stephens County, Georgia.
The Treaty of Beaufort, also called the Beaufort Convention, is the treaty that originally set the all-river boundary between the U.S. states of Georgia and South Carolina. It was named for Beaufort, South Carolina, where it was signed in 1787.
The Chattahoochee–Oconee National Forest in northern Georgia comprises two United States National Forests, the Oconee National Forest in eastern Georgia and the Chattahoochee National Forest located in the North Georgia Mountains. The Chattahoochee National Forest is composed of an eastern and western forest. The western forest contains Johns Mountain, Little Sand Mountain, and Taylor Ridge (Georgia). The combined total area of the Chattahoochee–Oconee National Forest is 867,265 acres (3,510 km2), of which the Chattahoochee National Forest comprises 751,069 acres (3,039 km2) and the Oconee National Forest comprises 116,196 acres (470 km2). The county with the largest portion of the eastern forest is Rabun County, Georgia, which has 148,684 acres (601.7 km2) within its boundaries.
The Green River is a dam-release river that flows through the mountains of North Carolina, south of Asheville. The Green has numerous tributaries, but much of its water flows from a confluence with Big Hungry Creek. The Green River is itself a tributary of the Broad River. The river is dammed to form Lake Summit, in Tuxedo, North Carolina, and Lake Adger near Mill Spring, NC. The Green River is named for its deep green color but runs brown after heavy rains.
The Rio Chama, a major tributary river of the Rio Grande, is located in the U.S. states of Colorado and New Mexico. The river is about 130 miles (210 km) long altogether. From its source to El Vado Dam its length is about 50 miles (80 km), from El Vado Dam to Abiquiu Dam is about 51 miles (82 km), and from Abiquiu Dam to its confluence with the Rio Grande is about 34 miles (55 km).
Ellicott Rock Wilderness is a wild area lying at and around the tripoint of Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, spanning 8,274 acres. It is managed by the United States Forest Service and is part of the National Wilderness Preservation System.
The Sumter National Forest is one of two forests in South Carolina that are managed together by the United States Forest Service, the other being the Francis Marion National Forest. The Sumter National Forest consists of 370,442 acres (1,499.13 km2) which are divided into 3 distinct sections in western and central South Carolina. The Enoree Ranger District is the largest, comprising roughly 170,000 acres in Chester, Fairfield, Laurens, Newberry, and Union counties. Next is the Long Cane Ranger District, comprising about 120,000 acres in Abbeville, Edgefield, Greenwood, McCormick, and Saluda counties. The smallest district is the Andrew Pickens Ranger District comprising over 85,000 acres which lies entirely in Oconee county and is part of the Appalachian Mountains. Forest headquarters of both South Carolina forests are located together in the state's capital city of Columbia.
The Foothills Trail is a 76-mile (122 km) National Recreation Trail in South and North Carolina, United States, for recreational hiking and backpacking. It extends from Table Rock State Park to Oconee State Park. It passes through the Andrew Pickens Ranger District of the Sumter National Forest, Ellicott Rock Wilderness, Whitewater Falls, and Lake Jocassee.
The South Fork American River is a major tributary of the American River in El Dorado County, California, draining a watershed on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada east of Sacramento. The river begins in pristine Desolation Wilderness and flows through the Sierra Nevada foothills. The river at Coloma was the site of James Marshall's discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill on January 24, 1848, which started the California Gold Rush. The South Fork of the American is "the most popular recreation stream in the West" for whitewater rafting in North America, e.g., 80,000 visitors in 2011. Professional whitewater rafting companies have been offering commercial rafting trips on the South Fork American River since 1978.
Northeast Georgia is a region of Georgia in the United States. The northern part is also in the North Georgia mountains or Georgia mountain region, while the southern part is still hilly but much flatter in topography. Northeast Georgia is also served by the Asheville/Spartanburg/Greenville/Anderson market. Largest cities in the region: Gainesville, Flowery Branch, Toccoa, Dahlonega, Cumming.
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