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river basins of georgia

COOSA-TALLAPOOSA and TENNESSEE RIVER BASINS
By Gretchen Loeffler and Judy L. Meyer

The Coosa and Tallapoosa River Basins originate in northern Georgia and continue across the border into Alabama. The Tennessee River Basin flows through portions of Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia.

Figure 1. Coosa River.

Figure 2. Tallapoosa River.

The Tallapoosa River originates in Paulding County, which is west of Atlanta. The Tallapoosa River basin occupies 4,680 square miles of which 720 square miles (15%) lie in Georgia and 3,960 square miles (85%) lie in Alabama. This river supports cold and warm water fisheries as well as a rich diversity of species unique to this river. Species important to anglers include largemouth, spotted and redeye bass, rainbow trout, black crappie, and channel catfish. The Tallapoosa is free flowing in Georgia with no major impoundments until it reaches the Harris Reservoir in Alabama. The Coosa River begins in downtown Rome and is formed by the convergence of the Etowah and Oostanaula Rivers. The Coosa River is the major eastern tributary of the Mobile Basin and empties into the Gulf of Mexico in southwest Alabama. The Coosa River is a significant striper fishery with one of the few populations of striped bass that naturally reproduce in the state. The Tennessee River Basin is most notable for its abundance and diversity of freshwater fishes. Recognized as one of the most diverse rivers in North America, the Tennessee River supports about 240 fish species.

Stream Flow
The following table lists the stream flow data for the portions of the Tallapoosa, Coosa, and Tennessee Rivers that flow through Georgia. The locations of the USGS gauging stations from which the data was collected are denoted within the parentheses. The Upper Tennessee River drainage, seen in Figure 3 below, is much larger than the portion that flows through Georgia.

Table 1. Stream flow data. Stream flow is measured in units of cubic feet per second (cfs) flowing past a point.

Figure 3. Upper Tennessee River Basin. Source: USGS Circular 1205.

Land cover and land use patterns
Table 2 lists the 1998 land cover percentages for the Chattahoochee and Flint River basins. The Natural Resources Spatial Analysis Laboratory (NARSAL) at the University of Georgia provided the tabular data.

Table 2. 1998 land cover statistics.

Aquatic diversity
The Coosa, Tallapoosa, and Tennessee Rivers are home to many threatened and endangered aquatic species. The Coosa River is home to more than 147 species of fish and has the largest diversity worldwide of freshwater snails and mussels, despite the documented disappearance of numerous molluscan species. For example, it is estimated that 35 of the 50 freshwater mussel species that once probably inhabited the Coosa River basin have been extirpated; several of these species are now considered extinct. According to estimates by the Nature Conservancy, the Etowah River has more imperiled species than any other river system of its size in the southeastern United States (17 fish species and 16 invertebrate species). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service currently lists 51 aquatic species as either threatened or endangered in the Tennessee River basin.
Two of the endangered species in these river basins are the Conasauga logperch, Percina jenkinsi, (Figure 4) and the Amber darter, Percina antesella (Figure 5). These species were once found throughout the Coosa, Tallapoosa, and Tennessee river basins and have been federally listed as endangered since 1985. The Conasauga logperch grows to approximately 6 inches in length and is characterized by having many tiger-like vertical stripes over a yellow background and a pig-like conical snout. Like other logperches, the Conasauga logperch feeds by flipping stones over with its snout and consuming aquatic invertebrates, which live beneath. The Amber darter is a short, slender-bodied fish that is generally less than 2.5 inches in length. The fish's upper body is golden brown with dark saddle-like markings, and its belly is a yellow-to-cream color. The throats of breeding males are blue in color. The amber darter feeds primarily on snails and insects.

Figure 4. Conasauga logperch.

Figure 5. Amber darter.

Additional sources and literature

Hampson P.S., M.W. Treece, Jr., G.C. Johnson, S.A. Ahlstedt, and J.F. Connell. Water Quality in the Upper Tennessee River Basin, Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia 1994-98. Water Resources Circular 1205. USGS Publication. Also found here.

Endangered and Threatened Species of the Southeastern United States (The Red Book) FWS Region 4.

USGS gauging stations

Endangered species information

NARSAL maps

Nature Conservancy (Etowah)

Tallapoosa River Management Plan

Tennessee River basin characteristics

Environmental, Educational, and Community Action Organizations

American Rivers

Georgia Adopt-A-Stream

Georgia Canoeing Association

Georgia River Network

River Network

Nature Conservancy of Georgia

Trust for Public Land

Alabama Rivers Alliance

Tallapoosa River Basin Clean Water Partnership

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