Bald Eagle

From where the Oconee and Ocmulgee Rivers merge near Lumber City, the Altamaha flows 137 miles to the Atlantic Ocean. More fresh water flows into the Atlantic from the Altamaha basin than from any other river in the Southeastern United States.

GILLSVILLE Bass fishermen GAINESVILLE pursue their sport on the entire CHICOPEE POND FORK MAYSVILLE

Altamaha River ALLEN CR. system. BLACKSHEAR PLACE COMMERCE

CHESTNUT NORTH OCONEE

MOUNTAIN PENDERGRASS SANDY CR. COLLECTING SYSTEM NICHOLSON BRASELTON JEFFERSON CURRY CR. HOSCHTON ARCADE SANFORD MULBERRY RIVER MIDDLE OCONEE CENTER

DULUTH AUBURN CARL OCONEE HEIGHTS DACULA WINDER RUSSELL PITTMAN STATHAM LAWRENCEVILLE NORCROSS BOGART TRANSPORTING ALCOVY R. BETHLEHEM ATHENS SYSTEM GLOSTER BARBER CR. GRAYSON WHITEHALL LUXOMNI GRATIS EASTVILLE LILBURN CAMPTON CRAWFORD Tributary Network WATKINSVILLE TRICKEM SNELLVILLE LOGANVILLE DISPERSING One of the most surprising characteristics

SHOAL CR. SHOAL HUTCHINGS of a river system is the intricate tribu- STONE MOUNTAIN BIG FLAT CR. SYSTEM YELLOW R. BETWEEN BIG CR. HIGH SHOALS BISHOP CLARKSTON JACKS CR. tary network that makes up the col- STEPHENS lecting system. This detail does not SCOTTDALE YOUTH MONROE DECATUR GOOD HOPE FARMINGTON ROSE CR A River System show the entire network, only a tiny The Watershed BIG HAYNES CR. GREENBRIER CR. A ridge of high ground borders every river system. ATLANTA REDAN A river system is a network of connecting portion GLEN HAVEN BOSTWICK WALNUT GROVE MAXEYS channels. Water from rain, snow, groundwa- of it. Even the smallest tributary has This ridge encloses what is called a watershed. EAST POINT BELMONT CORNISH CR. BIG SANDY CR. LITHONIA JERSEY ter and other sources collects into the chan- its own system of smaller and smaller Beyond the ridge, all water flows into another PANTHERSVILLE GUM CR. HARD LABOR CR. nels and flows to the ocean. A river system tributaries until the total number river system. Just as water in a bowl flows down- CONSTITUTION MILSTEAD APALACHEE ward to a common destination, all rivers, creeks, HAPEVILLE SOUTH RIVER has three parts: a collecting system, a trans- becomes astronomical. Most of the PENFIELD CONYERS APALACHEE RIVER streams, ponds, lakes, wetlands and other types of CONLEY SOCIAL CIRCLE porting system and a dispersing system. earth’s surface is some type of drain- age system. water bodies in a watershed drain into the river FOREST PARK RUTLEDGE ALMON OXFORD system. A watershed creates a natural community ELLENWOOD LAKE CITY JAMES CR. COVINGTON where every living thing has something in com- REX MADISON PORTERDALE mon – BIG COTTON CR. INDIAN CR. GREENSBORO the source and final disposition of their water. MAGNET BUCKHEAD WHITEHOUSE INDIAN CR. STARRSVILLE Tennessee STOCKBRIDGE OAK HILL SUGARSWORDS CR. SILOAM Mountains JONESBORO MANSFIELD KELLEYTOWN Rugged Appalachian RICHLAND CR. VEAZEY Watersheds Within NEWBORN and Cumberland SNAPPING SHOALS FLIPPEN MAGNET the Altamaha WALNUT CR. Mountains ORRS LITTLE R. WHITE PLAINS Watershed FARRAR Coosa GODFREY LUNDY CR. 1. Ohoopee River McDONOUGH Piedmont KELLY Savannah 2. Altamaha Rolling red clay hills BLACKSVILLE STEWART MAXWELL CAWTHON Tallapoosa Oconee TUSSAHAW CR. WORTHVILLE SHADY DALE The Fall Line MACHEN CROOKED CR. Chattahoochee HAMPTON LAKE OCONEE 50 million AIKENTON years ago the INDIAN CR. LUELLA LOCUST GROVE JACKSON LAKE ocean came NEEL CR. Ocmulgee

GLADY CR. GLADY to here JENKINSBURG STARK Ogeechee FORD CR. 1 POMONA YELLOW WATER CR. EATONTON MONTICELLO FORT CR. JACKSON PEPPERTON Altamaha MURDER CR. ROOTY CR. HIGHLAND MILLS CEDAR CR. Flint TOWALIGA R. EXPERIMENT FLOVILLA 2 GRIFFIN Satilla INDIAN SPRINGS SANDY BIG SANDY CR. LAKE SINCLAIR Coastal Plain ADGATEVILLE Fertile farm lands, DEVEREUX Suwannee ROCKY CR. BUFFALO CR. environmentally rich ORCHARD HILL wetlands and HIGH FALLS HILLSBORO swamps Ochlockonee St. Marys

KEG CR.

BIG CEDAR CR. FALLING CR. TOWNCR. MILNER EAST JULIETTE L TOWALIGA R. ROUND OAK LINTON Georgia’s 14 Georgia’s 52 Nature’s Organization JULIETTE TAYLOR CR. Primary Watersheds Secondary Watersheds Mother Nature gave Georgia two natural organizing MILLEDGEVILLE principles that determine the courses and characteristics ALDORA GOGGINS RUM CR. WAYSIDE Georgia has 14 primary watersheds: Altamaha, The state’s 14 primary watersheds are divided into BRADLEY HARDWICK of its rivers. One is its watersheds. The other is the BARNESVILLE Chattahoochee, Coosa, Flint, Ochlockonee, 52 secondary watersheds, shown here. Those 52 FORSYTH HADDOCK state’s three distinct regions: the Mountains, the DAMES FERRY DEEPSTEP OCONEE RIVER Ocmulgee, Oconee, Ogeechee, Satilla, watersheds are further divided into 395 even Piedmont and the Coastal Plain. Rivers that originate WOLF CR. GRAY Savannah, St. Marys, Suwannee, Tallapoosa smaller watersheds and those into 1,960 CLINTON in the Mountains or Piedmont are “alluvial” rivers YELLOW CR. SMARR POPES FERRY COOPERS and Tennessee. watersheds. Theoretically, you can continued TOBESOFKEE CR. SANDERSVILLE that carry heavy loads of silt, or “alluvium.” Rivers that STEVENS POTTERY BLACK CR. JAMES dividing watersheds until each one is the size begin in the Coastal Plain are dark, clear streams, often

BLUFF CR. Monarch Butterfly LITTLE TOBESOFKEE CR. BOLLINGBROKE ARKWRIGHT TENNILLE of the “Tributary Network” illustrated above. referred to as “blackwater” rivers. The Altamaha, with WALNUT CR. its origin in the Georgia Piedmont, is an alluvial river. IVEY

CULLODEN WESLEYAN GORDON GRISWOLD WRILEY OCONEE LITTLE OHOOPEE R. McINTYRE COMMISSIONERTOOMSBORO CR. LIZELLA ROCKYMACON CR. HARRISON FRANKLINTON IRWINTON OHOOPEE R. ECHECONNEE CR. DRY BRANCH MUSELLA BIG SANDY CR. PRINGLE DONOVAN

SKIPPERTON SOFKEE WRIGHTSVILLE PORTER CR. WALDEN DEEP CR. BUCKEYE CR. HUBER NEELS CR. AVONDALE KITE The Altamaha JEFFERSONVILLE CEDAR CR. BYRON ELBERTA River System FLAT CR. LOVETT

WARNER ROBINS MEEKS YAM GRANDY CR. Atlanta • Oconee R. • Athens LEE POPE CENTERVILLE DANVILLE MULEPEN CR. POWERSVILLE TURKEY CR. The South and Yellow Rivers merge to form ALLENTOWN SANDY RUN CR. SAVAGE CR. BREWTON the Ocmulgee at a location within Jackson Lake, BIG CR. • Milledgeville ADAMS PARK a reservoir formed by the Lloyd Shoals Dam. MONTROSE SCOTT Macon •

OCMULGEE RIVER DUDLEY DUBLIN Ocmulgee R. FORT VALLEY BONAIRE Ohoopee R. There, it is joined by the Alcovy River, which EAST DUBLIN ADRIAN MOSSY CR. also flows into Jackson Lake. The headwaters BAY CR. CARY NORRISTOWN of the Oconee River rise at the base of NUNEZ Altamaha R. KATHLEEN LITTLE OCMULGEE R. ROCKY CR. MINTER COVENA WESLEY Chattahoochee Ridge between Atlanta and ORIANNA OHOOPEE RIVER Gainesville. The North Oconee and Middle LEXSY Darien • BIG INDIAN CR. PERRY Oconee Rivers join to form the Oconee about ROCKLEDGE STILLMORE DEXTER PENDLEON CR. 6 miles south of Athens. The Apalachee River enters the Oconee from the northeast at Carey. From Two-Way Fish Camp near CLINCHFIELD HAYNEVILLE CHESTER Little River enters the Oconee at Lake Sinclair. Darien, boaters and anglers set COCHRAN RENTZ SOPERTON The Ocmulgee and Oconee merge to form GROVANIA ZAIDEE OAK PARK out for river or ocean. YONKERS LOTHAIR the Altamaha at a junction known locally as HENDERSON “The Forks,” near Lumber City. From there the EMPIRE CADWELL ELKO LONG BR. TARRYTOWN NORMANTOWN Altamaha flows 137 miles through a broad, flat flood plain consisting of swamps, BROWNDALE TIGER CR. hardwoods and sandy ridges to the Atlantic Ocean. It is joined by the Ohoopee, LIME SINK CR. KIBBEE HAWKINSVILLE GRESSTON PLAINFIELD a Coastal Plain “blackwater” river, south of Reidsville about 37 miles downstream HARTFORD OCHWALKEE CR. UNADILLA BIG CR. SWIFT CR. from the confluence of the Ocmulgee and Oconee. At a point 22.8 miles above the mouth, the river divides into two branches, the Altamaha and South Altamaha. S PRONG BEAR CR. HIGGSTON LITTLE CR. VIDALIA These branches unite again and subdivide into three main streams: the Altamaha OCHWALKEE River, which empties into the Altamaha Sound; the South Altamaha River, which ALLIGATOR CR. AILEY McGREGOR EASTMAN LYONS JOINER CR. GLENWOOD COLLINS empties into Buttermilk Sound; and the Darien River, which empties into Doboy MOSQUITO CR. Mt. VERNON OHOOPEE CEDAR CR. SANTA CLAUS Sound. Tidal effects extend about 39 miles upriver. This entire river system has ALAMO a larger drainage basin than any other river system in Georgia – 14,200 square GODWINSVILLE SHARPS SPUR FINLEYSON JAY BIRD SPRINGS miles. More fresh water flows into the Atlantic Ocean from the Altamaha basin LITTLE OMULGEE R. ROCKY CR. than from any other river in the Southeastern United States. PINEVIEW COBB CR. BRAZELLS CR. TENMILE CR. BLUFF CR. CHAUNCEY REIDSVILLE ALSTON CEDAR CR. HELENA McRAE JOHNSON CORNER SCOTLAND MIDWAY UVALDA INMAN CR. BRUSHY CR. For many years TURNPIKE CR. FOLSOM CR. CROOKED CR. CEDAR CROSSING TOWNS CHARLOTTEVILLE THOMAS CR. the Altamaha held SUGAR CR. MENDES the U.S. record ABBEVILLE RHINE for flathead catfish – HORSE CR. Alligator 63 pounds. GLENNVILLE HOUSE CR. LUMBER CITY

BIG HORSE CR.

ALIGATOR CR. OWENSBORO HAZLEHURST

BULLARDS CR. TENMILE CR. ALTAMAHA RIVER MILL CR. GRAHAM BOWENS MILL MUSHMELLON CR. DONALD JACKSONVILLE QUEENSLAND

MADRAY SPRINGS STURGEON CR. LUDOWICI Home to a wide variety of birds, GOOSE CR. mammals, fish, reptiles and plants, the Altamaha is a DOCTORTOWN naturalist’s paradise.

DOCTORS CR. Sea kayakers explore the river JESUP and coastal marshes. White Egret

GARDI

WALKER CR.WALKER

GRANGERVILLE

PENHOLOWAY CR. BROADHURST SAPELO ISLAND

LEWIS CR. MOUNT PLEASANT McKINNON Native Americans navigated the Altamaha EVERETT DARIEN long before the discovery of America.

A few miles upstream St. SIMONS ISLAND from the mouth of A combination of rivers and ocean, the salt marsh along the Georgia coast is one the Altamaha, giant of the most productive ecosystems on earth. Living plants and animals, as well as cypress trees grow dissolved minerals and decaying vegetation, fill the marsh with nutrients. on Lewis Island.

The British built Fort King George at the mouth of the Altamaha in 1721.

Darien’s docks, at the Altamaha’s American explorer and naturalist William mouth, are home to one of Georgia’s Bartram visited the Altamaha basin during largest shrimp boat fleets. his exploration of the American Southeast in 1775 and 1776. Paddleboats carried cotton and other farm products to coastal ports.

Before the Civil War, Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation and other plantations cultivated rice over great expanses of coastal marshland along the river.

Raftsmen guided giant Sapelo Island timbers down the Altamaha Lighthouse was to sawmills where the logs built in 1820. were cut into boards.

The 14 posters in the Georgia Rivers Poster Project were made possible by a public/private partnership between the Pollution Prevention Assistance Division, Georgia Department of Natural Resources and . The rivers in the series are the Altamaha, Chattahoochee, Coosa, Flint, Ochlockonee, Ocmulgee, Oconee, Ogeechee, Satilla, Savannah, St. Marys, Suwannee, Tallapoosa and Tennessee. Ordering information for all posters may be found at www.cipublishing.com/posters or 404.525.2285.