COLLECTING SYSTEM

TRANSPORTING SYSTEM

GILLSVILLE GAINESVILLE Tributary Network

CHICOPEE POND FORK MAYSVILLE DISPERSING One of the most surprising SYSTEM characteristics of a river system is ALLEN CR. the intricate tributary network that BLACKSHEAR The South and Yellow Rivers join to form PLACE COMMERCE makes up the collecting system. CHESTNUT NORTH OCONEE the Ocmulgee within Jackson Lake in A River System This detail does not show the entire The Watershed MOUNTAIN PENDERGRASS A river system is a network of connecting network, only a tiny portion of it. A ridge of high ground borders every Butts County, Georgia. Below the channels. Water from rain, snow, groundwater Even the smallest tributary has its river system. This ridge encloses what is Red-tailed Hawk NICHOLSON and other sources collects into the channels own system of smaller and smaller called a watershed. Beyond the ridge, SANDY CR. tailrace of the lake’s Lloyd Shoals Dam, BRASELTON JEFFERSON and flows to the ocean. A river system has tributaries until the total number all water flows into another river system. CURRY CR. HOSCHTON three parts: a collecting system, a transporting Just as water in a bowl flows downward ARCADE the Ocmulgee flows south to join becomes astronomical. Most of the SANFORD system and a dispersing system. earth’s surface is some type of drain- to a common destination, all rivers, MULBERRY RIVER MIDDLE OCONEE CENTER the Oconee River near Lumber City to age system. creeks, streams, ponds, lakes, wetlands and other types of water bodies in a AUBURN form the Altamaha River, which flows watershed drain into the river system. CARL OCONEE A watershed creates a natural community DULUTH HEIGHTS DACULA WINDER RUSSELL into the Atlantic Ocean at Altamaha where every living thing has something PITTMAN STATHAM LAWRENCEVILLE Sound near Darien, Georgia. in common – the source and final NORCROSS BOGART disposition of their water. ALCOVY R. BETHLEHEM ATHENS

GLOSTER BARBER CR. GRAYSON WHITEHALL LUXOMNI GRATIS EASTVILLE LILBURN CAMPTON CRAWFORD WATKINSVILLE TRICKEM SNELLVILLE LOGANVILLE

SHOAL CR. SHOAL HUTCHINGS STONE MOUNTAIN BIG FLAT CR. YELLOW R. BETWEEN BIG CR. Mountains JACKS CR. HIGH SHOALS BISHOP CLARKSTON Tennessee Rugged Appalachian STEPHENS SCOTTDALE YOUTH MONROE and Cumberland DECATUR GOOD HOPE FARMINGTON Watersheds Within ROSE CR Mountains BIG HAYNES CR. GREENBRIER CR. the Ocmulgee ATLANTA REDAN GLEN HAVEN BOSTWICK Coosa WALNUT GROVE MAXEYS Watershed Piedmont EAST POINT BELMONT CORNISH CR. BIG SANDY CR. LITHONIA JERSEY Savannah 1. Upper Ocmulgee Rolling red clay hills PANTHERSVILLE GUM CR. HARD LABOR CR. 2. Ocmulgee CONSTITUTION MILSTEAD APALACHEE 3. Lower Ocmulgee HAPEVILLE SOUTH RIVER 1 The Fall Line PENFIELD Oconee CONYERS Tallapoosa CONLEY SOCIAL CIRCLE APALACHEE RIVER Chattahoochee 50 million Ocmulgee years ago the FOREST PARK RUTLEDGE ALMON OXFORD ELLENWOOD Ogeechee ocean came LAKE CITY JAMES CR. to here COVINGTON Altamaha REX MADISON 2 PORTERDALE BIG COTTON CR. 3 INDIAN CR. GREENSBORO MAGNET BUCKHEAD Coastal Plain ALCOVY R. Flint WHITEHOUSE INDIAN CR. STARRSVILLE Fertile farm lands, STOCKBRIDGE OAK HILL SUGARSWORDS CR. SILOAM JONESBORO MANSFIELD Short-eared Owl environmentally KELLEYTOWN Satilla NEWBORN RICHLAND CR. VEAZEY rich wetlands FLIPPEN SNAPPING SHOALS and swamps WALNUT CR. Suwannee LITTLE R. WHITE PLAINS ORRS FARRAR GODFREY LUNDY CR. McDONOUGH KELLY BLACKSVILLE STEWART St. Marys MAXWELL CAWTHON Ochlockonee SHADY DALE TUSSAHAW CR. WORTHVILLE LAKE OCONEE MACHEN CROOKED CR. HAMPTON AIKENTON Georgia’s 14 Georgia’s 52 Nature’s Organization INDIAN CR. LUELLA JACKSON LAKE Mother Nature gave Georgia two natural organizing LOCUST GROVE NEEL CR. Primary Watersheds Secondary Watersheds

GLADY CR. GLADY principles that determine the courses and characteristics JENKINSBURG STARK FORD CR. Georgia has 14 primary watersheds: Altamaha, The state’s 14 primary watersheds are divided POMONA YELLOW WATER CR. EATONTON of its rivers. One is its watersheds. The other is the state’s MONTICELLO FORT CR. Chattahoochee, Coosa, Flint, Ochlockonee, into 52 secondary watersheds, shown here. JACKSON PEPPERTON 3 distinct regions: the Mountains, the Piedmont and the MURDER CR. ROOTY CR. HIGHLAND MILLS Ocmulgee, Oconee, Ogeechee, Savannah, Those 52 watersheds are further divided into CEDAR CR. Coastal Plain. Rivers that originate in the Mountains or EXPERIMENT FLOVILLA Satilla, St. Marys, Suwannee, Tallapoosa 395 even smaller watersheds and those into Piedmont are “alluvial” rivers that carry heavy loads GRIFFIN TOWALIGA R. and Tennessee. 1,960 watersheds. Theoretically, you can of silt. Rivers that begin in the Coastal Plain are dark, INDIAN SPRINGS SANDY BIG SANDY CR. LAKE SINCLAIR ADGATEVILLE continue dividing watersheds until each clear streams, often referred to as “blackwater” rivers. DEVEREUX ROCKY CR. BUFFALO CR. one is the size of the “Tributary Network” Sometimes alluvial rivers merge with Coastal Plain riv- ORCHARD HILL illustrated above. ers. With its headwaters in the Georgia Piedmont, HIGH FALLS HILLSBORO the Ocmulgee is an alluvial river.

KEG CR.

BIG CEDAR CR. FALLING CR. TOWNCR. MILNER EAST JULIETTE L TOWALIGA R. ROUND OAK LINTON JULIETTE TAYLOR CR. MILLEDGEVILLE ALDORA GOGGINS RUM CR. WAYSIDE BRADLEY HARDWICK BARNESVILLE FORSYTH HADDOCK DAMES FERRY OCONEE RIVER DEEPSTEP The Ocmulgee River System WOLF CR. GRAY The South and Yellow Rivers join to form the Ocmulgee at a location CLINTON YELLOW CR. SMARR POPES FERRY COOPERS within Jackson Lake. (The Alcovy River also flows into Jackson Lake TOBESOFKEE CR. STEVENS POTTERY BLACK CR. JAMES SANDERSVILLE and becomes part of the Ocmulgee.) From the tailrace of the lake’s

BLUFF CR. LITTLE TOBESOFKEE CR. BOLINGBROKE ARKWRIGHT TENNILLE Lloyd Shoals Dam, the Ocmulgee flows in a generally narrow valley Milledgeville• Oconee R. WALNUT CR. over rocky shoals for about 43 miles before falling steeply to Macon, Ocmulgee R. IVEY Macon • Georgia where the river enters the Coastal Plain and the slope becomes

WESLEYAN White-tailed Deer gentle. The river continues south to a location known as “The Forks,” CULLODEN ROCKY CR. GORDON GRISWOLD WRILEY near Lumber City, where it joins the Oconee River and forms the OCONEE Altamaha R. McINTYRE LITTLE OHO0PEE R. Altamaha River. From the junction of the Ocmulgee and the Oconee, COMMISSIONERTOOMSBORO CR. LIZELLA MACON HARRISON FRANKLINTON Darien • the Altamaha flows 137 miles to join the Atlantic Ocean at Altamaha IRWINTON OHOOPEE RIVER DRY BRANCH BIG SANDY CR. MUSELLA ECHECONNEE CR. PRINGLE Sound near Darien, Georgia. More water flows into the Atlantic from DONOVAN the Altamaha basin (including the Ocmulgee and Oconee basins) than from any other river in the Southeast. SKIPPERTON SOFKEE WRIGHTSVILLE PORTER CR. WALDEN DEEP CR. BUCKEYE CR. HUBER NEELS CR. AVONDALE KITE JEFFERSONVILLE CEDAR CR. BYRON ELBERTA

FLAT CR. LOVETT

WARNER ROBINS MEEKS YAM GRANDY CR. Monarch LEE POPE CENTERVILLE DANVILLE MULEPEN CR. Butterfly POWERSVILLE TURKEY CR. SANDY RUN CR. SAVAGE CR. ALLENTOWN BREWTON

BIG CR. ADAMS PARK MONTROSE SCOTT DUDLEY DUBLIN FORT VALLEY BONAIRE EAST DUBLIN ADRIAN MOSSY CR. BAY CR. CARY NORRISTOWN NUNEZ Bald Eagle KATHLEEN LITTLE OCMULGEE R. ROCKY CR. MINTER COVENA WESLEY ORIANNA LEXSY BIG INDIAN CR. OHOOPEE RIVER PERRY ROCKLEDGE STILLMORE DEXTER PENDLEON CR.

CLINCHFIELD HAYNEVILLE CHESTER COCHRAN RENTZ SOPERTON GROVANIA ZAIDEE OAK PARK YONKERS LOTHAIR HENDERSON EMPIRE CADWELL ELKO LONG BR. TARRYTOWN BROWNDALE TIGER CR.NORMANTOWN LIME SINK CR. KIBBEE HAWKINSVILLE GRESSTON PLAINFIELD HARTFORD OCHWALKEE CR. UNADILLA BIG CR. SWIFT CR.

S PRONG BEAR CR. HIGGSTON LITTLE CR. VIDALIA OCHWALKEE ALLIGATOR CR. AILEY McGREGOR EASTMAN LYONS JOINER CR. GLENWOOD COLLINS MOSQUITO CR. Mt. VERNON OHOOPEE CEDAR CR. SANTA CLAUS ALAMO GODWINSVILLE SHARPS SPUR FINLEYSON JAY BIRD SPRINGS LITTLE OCMULGEE R. ROCKY CR.

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. TURNPIKE CR. FOLSOM CR. CROOKED CR. CEDAR CROSSING TOWNS CHARLOTTEVILLE THOMAS CR. MENDES ABBEVILLE SUGAR CR. RHINE HORSE CR. GLENNVILLE HOUSE CR. LUMBER CITY

BIG HORSE CR.

ALIGATOR CR. OWENSBORO HAZLEHURST ALTAMAHA RIVER

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

MADRAY SPRINGS STURGEON CR. LUDOWICI GOOSE CR.

DOCTORTOWN Steam-powered paddleboats transported agricultural products and passengers on The Robust Redhorse, DOCTORS CR. the Ocmulgee River. once believed to JESUP be extinct, was rediscovered on Macon residents enjoy the urban pleasures of the Ocmulgee and GARDI Macon’s Gateway Park on the Ocmulgee. Oconee Rivers.

WALKER CR.WALKER

GRANGERVILLE

PENHOLOWAY CR. BROADHURST SAPELO ISLAND

LEWIS CR. MOUNT PLEASANT McKINNON

EVERETT DARIEN

Benjamin Hawkins, who ran the U.S. Government’s Indian Agency

on the Flint River from 1801 until St. SIMONS ISLAND his death in 1816, supervised the Loggers floated huge tree rafts downriver building of Fort Hawkins on the to Darien lumber mills. Ocmulgee in 1806.

Kingfisher

Dolphins swim in the estuaries where coastal rivers merge with the ocean.

Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto crossed Native the Ocmulgee in March of 1540. Americans used river clay and river cane to fill many of the needs of daily life.

Georgia Wildlife Management Areas Bond Swamp on the Ocmulgee River along river corridors are popular rec- is one of several locations in Georgia reational destinations for hunters, where black bears live. fishermen and naturalists.

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.