Bald Eagle

GILLSVILLE GAINESVILLE

CHICOPEE POND FORK MAYSVILLE The North Oconee and Middle Oconee Rivers join to form the

ALLEN CR. Oconee River about 6 miles south of Athens, Georgia. The river COLLECTING BLACKSHEAR SYSTEM PLACE COMMERCE then flows south, with stops at Lake Oconee and Lake Sinclair, CHESTNUT NORTH OCONEE MOUNTAIN PENDERGRASS SANDY CR. to join the Ocmulgee near Lumber City and form the Altamaha NICHOLSON River. The Altamaha then flows into the Atlantic Ocean at BRASELTON JEFFERSON CURRY CR. HOSCHTON Altamaha Sound near Darien, Georgia. ARCADE SANFORD MULBERRY RIVER MIDDLE OCONEE CENTER

DULUTH AUBURN TRANSPORTING CARL OCONEE SYSTEM HEIGHTS DACULA WINDER RUSSELL PITTMAN STATHAM White-tailed Deer LAWRENCEVILLE NORCROSS BOGART Tributary Network ALCOVY R. BETHLEHEM ATHENS DISPERSING One of the most surprising GLOSTER BARBER CR. GRAYSON WHITEHALL SYSTEM characteristics of a river system LUXOMNI GRATIS EASTVILLE is the intricate tributary network LILBURN CAMPTON CRAWFORD that makes up the collecting WATKINSVILLE A River System TRICKEM SNELLVILLE LOGANVILLE system. This detail does not show The Watershed SHOAL CR. SHOAL HUTCHINGS A river system is a network of connecting A ridge of high ground borders every STONE MOUNTAIN BIG FLAT CR. NORTH HIGH SHOALS the entire network, only a tiny YELLOW R. BETWEEN BIG CR. BISHOP channels. Water from rain, snow, groundwater CLARKSTON JACKS CR. portion of it. Even the smallest river system. This ridge encloses what is STEPHENS and other sources collects into the channels SCOTTDALE YOUTH MONROE tributary has its own system of called a watershed. Beyond the ridge, DECATUR GOOD HOPE FARMINGTON and flows to the ocean. A river system has ROSE CR smaller and smaller tributaries all water flows into another river system. BIG HAYNES CR. GREENBRIER CR. three parts: a collecting system, a transporting ATLANTA REDAN until the total number becomes Just as water in a bowl flows downward GLEN HAVEN BOSTWICK system and a dispersing system. WALNUT GROVE MAXEYS astronomical. Most of the earth’s to a common destination, all rivers, EAST POINT BELMONT CORNISH CR. BIG SANDY CR. LITHONIA JERSEY surface is some type creeks, streams, ponds, lakes, wetlands PANTHERSVILLE GUM CR. HARD LABOR CR. CONSTITUTION MILSTEAD of drainage system. and other types of water bodies in a APALACHEE HAPEVILLE SOUTH RIVER watershed drain into the river system. PENFIELD CONYERS APALACHEE RIVER CONLEY SOCIAL CIRCLE A watershed creates a natural community FOREST PARK RUTLEDGE Cooper’s Hawk where every living thing has something ALMON OXFORD ELLENWOOD in common – the source and final LAKE CITY JAMES CR. COVINGTON disposition of their water. REX MADISON PORTERDALE BIG COTTON CR. INDIAN CR. GREENSBORO MAGNET BUCKHEAD WHITEHOUSE INDIAN CR. STARRSVILLE RICHLAND CR. STOCKBRIDGE OAK HILL SUGARSWORDS CR. SILOAM JONESBORO MANSFIELD KELLEYTOWN NEWBORN VEAZEY SNAPPING SHOALS FLIPPEN MAGNET WALNUT CR. LITTLE R. WHITE PLAINS Watersheds Within ORRS FARRAR GODFREY LUNDY CR. the Oconee Watershed Mountains McDONOUGH KELLY Tennessee 1. Upper Oconee Rugged Appalachian BLACKSVILLE STEWART LAKE OCONEE MAXWELL CAWTHON 2. Oconee River and Cumberland TUSSAHAW CR. WORTHVILLE SHADY DALE Mountains MACHEN CROOKED CR. HAMPTON AIKENTON Coosa INDIAN CR. Piedmont LUELLA LOCUST GROVE JACKSON LAKE NEEL CR. Savannah Rolling red clay hills JENKINSBURG STARK CR. GLADY FORD CR. POMONA YELLOW WATER CR. EATONTON Tallapoosa Oconee 1 MONTICELLO FORT CR. The Fall Line JACKSON PEPPERTON MURDER CR. ROOTY CR. Chattahoochee HIGHLAND MILLS 50 million CEDAR CR. years ago the EXPERIMENT FLOVILLA Ocmulgee ocean came GRIFFIN TOWALIGA R. 2 INDIAN SPRINGS SANDY Ogeechee to here BIG SANDY CR. LAKE SINCLAIR ADGATEVILLE DEVEREUX Altamaha ROCKY CR. BUFFALO CR. Coastal Plain ORCHARD HILL Flint Fertile farm lands, HIGH FALLS HILLSBORO environmentally rich

KEG CR. Satilla wetlands and swamps BIG CEDAR CR. FALLING CR. TOWNCR. MILNER EAST JULIETTE L TOWALIGA R. ROUND OAK LINTON Suwannee JULIETTE TAYLOR CR. MILLEDGEVILLE GOGGINS WAYSIDE ALDORA RUM CR. St. Marys BRADLEY HARDWICK Ochlockonee BARNESVILLE FORSYTH HADDOCK Georgia’s 14 Georgia’s 52 Nature’s Organization DAMES FERRY DEEPSTEP Mother Nature gave Georgia two natural organizing Cormorant WOLF CR. GRAY OCONEE RIVER Primary Watersheds Secondary Watersheds principles that determine the courses and characteristics CLINTON YELLOW CR. SMARR POPES FERRY COOPERS Georgia has 14 primary watersheds: Altamaha, The state’s 14 primary watersheds are divided of its rivers. One is its watersheds. The other is the state’s TOBESOFKEE CR. STEVENS POTTERY BLACK CR. JAMES SANDERSVILLE Chattahoochee, Coosa, Flint, Ochlockonee, into 52 secondary watersheds, shown here. 3 distinct regions: the Mountains, the Piedmont and the BLUFF CR. Ocmulgee, Oconee, Ogeechee, Satilla, Those 52 watersheds are further divided into Coastal Plain. Rivers that originate in the Mountains or LITTLE TOBESOFKEE CR. BOLLINGBROKE ARKWRIGHT TENNILLE WALNUT CR. Savannah, St. Marys, Suwannee, Tallapoosa 395 even smaller watersheds and those into Piedmont are “alluvial” rivers that carry heavy loads IVEY and Tennessee. 1,960 watersheds. Theoretically, you can of silt. Rivers that begin in the Coastal Plain are dark, clear streams, often referred to as “blackwater” rivers. WESLEYAN continue dividing watersheds until each CULLODEN ROCKY CR. GORDON Sometimes alluvial rivers merge with Coastal Plain riv- GRISWOLD WRILEY one is the size of the “Tributary Network” OCONEE ers. With its headwaters in the Georgia Piedmont, McINTYRE LITTLE OHO0PEE R. illustrated above. COMMISSIONERTOOMSBORO CR. the Oconee is an alluvial river. LIZELLA MACON HARRISON FRANKLINTON IRWINTON DRY BRANCH BIG SANDY CR. OHO0PEE R. MUSELLA ECHECONNEE CR. PRINGLE DONOVAN

Monarch Butterfly 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. LEE POPE CENTERVILLE DANVILLE MULEPEN CR. POWERSVILLE TURKEY CR.

SANDY RUN CR. SAVAGE CR. ALLENTOWN BREWTON

BIG CR. ADAMS PARK MONTROSE SCOTT DUDLEY DUBLIN FORT VALLEY BONAIRE EAST DUBLIN ADRIAN The Oconee River MOSSY CR. BAY CR. CARY NORRISTOWN NUNEZ System KATHLEEN LITTLE OCMULGEE R. ROCKY CR. MINTER COVENA WESLEY The headwaters of the Oconee River rise at OCMULGEE RIVER ORIANNA OHOOPEE RIVER Atlanta • • Athens LEXSY Oconee R. the base of the Chattahoochee Ridge between BIG INDIAN CR. PERRY ROCKLEDGE STILLMORE Atlanta, Georgia and a point 10 miles north- DEXTER PENDLEON CR. • Milledgeville northeast of Gainesville, Georgia at an elevation CLINCHFIELD Macon • of 1,000 feet above sea level. The North HAYNEVILLE CHESTER Ocmulgee R. COCHRAN RENTZ SOPERTON Oconee and Middle Oconee Rivers join to GROVANIA ZAIDEE OAK PARK Altamaha R. YONKERS LOTHAIR form the Oconee River about 6 miles south of HENDERSON Athens, Georgia. From there the river flows EMPIRE CADWELL ELKO Darien • south, with stops at Lake Oconee and Lake LONG BR. TARRYTOWN NORMANTOWN BROWNDALE TIGER CR. Sinclair, to join the Ocmulgee at a location The Oconee River LIME SINK CR. KIBBEE HAWKINSVILLE GRESSTON PLAINFIELD known as “The Forks,” near Lumber City, and HARTFORD OCHWALKEE CR. corridor is home to UNADILLA BIG CR. a wide variety of SWIFT CR. form the Altamaha. From the junction of the Ocmulgee and the Oconee, the Altamaha birds, mammals, S PRONG BEAR CR. HIGGSTON reptiles and fish. LITTLE CR. VIDALIA flows 137 miles to join the Atlantic Ocean at OCHWALKEE ALLIGATOR CR. AILEY McGREGOR LYONS Altamaha Sound near Darien, Georgia. EASTMAN JOINER CR. MOSQUITO CR. GLENWOOD COLLINS CEDAR CR. Mt. VERNON OHOOPEE More water flows into the Atlantic from the SANTA CLAUS Altamaha basin (including the Ocmulgee and ALAMO GODWINSVILLE SHARPS SPUR Oconee basins) than from any other river in FINLEYSON JAY BIRD SPRINGS LITTLE OMULGEE R. ROCKY CR. the Southeast.

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

BULLARDS CR. TENMILE CR. ALTAMAHA RIVER MILL CR. GRAHAM BOWENS MILL MUSHMELLON CR. DONALD JACKSONVILLE The Oconee is a popular QUEENSLAND location for fishing for catfish.

MADRAY SPRINGS STURGEON CR. LUDOWICI GOOSE CR.

Kingfisher DOCTORTOWN

DOCTORS CR. JESUP Alligators live along the Oconee River below the Fall Line.

GARDI

WALKER CR.WALKER

GRANGERVILLE

PENHOLOWAY CR. BROADHURST SAPELO ISLAND

LEWIS CR. MOUNT PLEASANT The Robust Redhorse, once believed to be extinct, McKINNON was rediscovered on the Oconee and Ocmulgee Rivers. EVERETT DARIEN

Steam-powered paddleboats transported agricultural products and passengers on the Oconee River.

ST. SIMONS ISLAND Georgia’s four state capitals before Atlanta were located on rivers, the main transportation corridors of the time. These four were Savannah on the Savannah River (1777-78, 1782, 1784); Augusta on the Savannah (1779-1783, 1784); Louisville on the Ogeechee (1796-1806) and Milledgeville on the Oconee (1807-1864).

Water-skiing is a popular recreational activity on Lakes Spanish explorer Hernando Sinclair and Oconee, both de Soto camped at an Indian formed by the Oconee River. Native Americans used river clay village on the Oconee in and river cane to fill many of the April of 1540. needs of daily life.

American explorer and naturalist William Bartram visited the Oconee basin during his exploration of the American Southeast in 1775 and 1776.

Loggers floated huge tree rafts downriver to Darien lumber mills.

As Georgia expanded east to west, the state’s rivers often designated frequently changing state boundaries. The government built small forts along the Oconee and other rivers to protect settlers from Indians unhappy Georgia Wildlife Management with treaties opening up land for farm- Areas along river corridors are ing. popular recreational destinations for hunters, 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.