The upper reaches of the Bald Eagle river cut through Tallulah Gorge.
LAKE TOXAWAY
MIDDLE FORK The Seneca and Tugaloo Rivers come together near Hartwell, Georgia CASHIERS SAPPHIRE 0AKLAND TOXAWAY R. to form the Savannah River. From that point, the Savannah flows 300
GRIMSHAWES miles southeasterly to the Atlantic Ocean. The Watershed ROCK BOTTOM A ridge of high ground borders Fly fishermen catch trout on the every river system. This ridge Chattooga and Tallulah Rivers, COLLECTING encloses what is called a EASTATOE CR. SATOLAH tributaries of the Savannah in SYSTEM watershed. Beyond the ridge, LAKE Northeast Georgia. all water flows into another river RABUN BALD SUNSET JOCASSEE JOCASSEE system. Just as water in a bowl flows downward to a common MOUNTAIN CITY destination, all rivers, creeks,
KEOWEERIVER streams, ponds, lakes, wetlands SALEM and other types of water bodies TALLULAH R. CLAYTON PICKENS TAMASSEE in a watershed drain into the MOUNTAIN REST WOLF CR. river system. A watershed creates LAKE BURTON TIGER STEKOA CR. a natural community where CHATTOOGA RIVER ARIAIL every living thing has something WHETSTONE TRANSPORTING WILEY EASLEY SYSTEM in common – the source and SEED LAKEMONT SIX MILE LAKE GOLDEN CR. final disposition of their water. LAKE RABUN LONG CREEK LIBERTY CATEECHEE TALLULAH CHAUGA R. WALHALLA LAKE Tributary Network FALLS KEOWEE NORRIS One of the most surprising characteristics TUGALOO WEST UNION SIXMILE CR. DISPERSING LAKE of a river system is the intricate tributary SYSTEM COURTENAY NEWRY CENTRALEIGHTEENMILE CR. network that makes up the collecting YONAH TWELVEMILE CR. system. This detail does not show the TURNERVILLE LAKE RICHLAND UTICA A River System entire network, only a tiny portion of it. TUGALOO R. WESTMINSTER SENECA A river system is a network of connecting CLEMSON Even the smallest tributary has its own CONEROSS CR. channels. Water from rain, snow, system of smaller and smaller tributaries PENDLETON groundwater and other sources collects CHOESTOEA CR. THREE AND until the total number becomes MADISON TWENTY CR. into the channels and flows to the ocean. SENECA RIVER astronomical. Most of the earth’s LEBANON Watersheds TOKEENA La FRANCE A river system has three parts: a collecting surface is some type of drainage system. OAKWAY SANDY SPRINGS system, a transporting system and Within the Savannah AVERSVILLE TOCCOA a dispersing system. Watershed BEAVERDAM CR. SIX AND TWENTY CR. 1. Tugaloo River Mountains EASTANOLLEE 2. Broad River Rugged Appalachian MOUNT AIRY FAIR PLAY Tennessee and Cumberland ANDERSON 3. Upper Savannah BALDWIN AVALON 4. Little River Mountains ALTO MARTIN 1 5. Middle Savannah NORTH FORK ROCKY RIVER 6. Brier Creek Piedmont BROADWAY Coosa Rolling red clay hills GLUCK LAKE 7. Lower Savannah MIDDLE FORK HONEA PATH 2 LAVONIA HARTWELL BEAVER CR. HENCOOP CR. Savannah LAKE 3 The Fall Line CRAYTONVILLE 4 50 million Tallapoosa Oconee 5 years ago the 6 SAYLORS Chattahoochee ocean came BOWERSVILLE CARNESVILLE STARR CROSSROADS to here GILLSVILLE AIRLINE WILSON CR. HARTWELL Ocmulgee NAILS CR. CANON Ogeechee HOMER 7 SAVANNAH RIVER JOHNSON CR. WEST DUE Kingfisher HOGSKIN CR. Altamaha GROVE CR. HUDSON R. ROYSTON ANTREVILLE Flint FRANKLIN SPRINGS Coastal Plain SECESSION MONTEVIDEO HODGES Fertile farm lands, MAYSVILLE LAKE Satilla NUBERG environmentally BARNES STATION rich wetlands FORT LAMAR VANNA Suwannee PARK CR. and swamps BEAVERDAM CR. COLDWATER CR. COMMERCE POCATALIGO BOWMAN SHANKLIN CR. JOHNS CR. St. Marys LOWNDESVILLE Ochlockonee VAN CR. LITTLE RIVER ILA RUSSELL GILL CR. DEWY ROSE RUCKERSVILLE LAKE ABBEVILLE Georgia’s 14 Georgia’s 52 Nature’s Organization BROAD R. Mother Nature gave Georgia two natural organizing NEW MARKET Primary Watersheds Secondary Watersheds BIG CURLTAIL CR. principles that determine the courses and characteristics DANIELSVILLE LATIMER MATHEWS HEIGHTS Georgia has 14 primary watersheds: The state’s 14 primary watersheds are divided ELBERTON of its rivers. One is its watersheds. The other is the state’s SOUTH FORK FORK CR. NICKVILLE Altamaha, Chattahoochee, Coosa, Flint, into 52 secondary watersheds, shown here. 3 distinct regions: the Mountains, the Piedmont and the MIDDLETON Ochlockonee, Ocmulgee, Oconee, Those 52 watersheds are further divided NEESE CALHOUN CR. VERDERY Coastal Plain. Rivers that originate in the Mountains or COMER CALHOUN FALLS Ogeechee, Satilla, Savannah, St. Marys, into 395 even smaller watersheds and OGLESBY DIAMOND HILL FALLING CR. SAWNEY CR. Suwannee, Tallapoosa and Tennessee. those into 1,960 watersheds. Theoretically, Piedmont are “alluvial” rivers that carry heavy loads WHITE CR. HARD LABOR CR. CAUTHEN HILLBERN CR. you can continue dividing watersheds of silt. Rivers that begin in the Coastal Plain are dark, GOODY CR. BRADLEY COLBERT CARLTON until each one is the size of the clear streams, often referred to as “blackwater” rivers. KIRKSEY
FORTSONIA LONG CANE CR. “Tributary Network” illustrated above. Sometimes alluvial rivers merge with Coastal Plain riv- SMITHONIA MOUNT CARMEL POINT PETER CALLISON ers. The Savannah, with its origins in the Mountains of OWDOMS WINTERVILLE Georgia and the Carolinas, is an alluvial river that is joined WILLINGTON by Coastal Plain streams below the Fall Line. VESTA SANDY CROSS BIG CLOUDS CR. GROVE CR. ENTERPRISE SLEEPY CR. ARNOLDSVILLE PISTOL CR. GUFFYTOWN CR. PALMETTO ROCKY CR. White-tailed Deer CHENNAULT McCORMICK ROCKY CR. CRAWFORD LONG CR. The Savannah River System L STEVENS CR. LEXINGTON TIGNALL TURKEY CR. Tugaldo R. DANBURG The headwaters of the Savannah River are on the high, HUTCHINGS CLARK CR. LOG CR. Broad R. PLUM BRANCH forested slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountains in North FLORAL HILL TURKEY CR. DRY FORK Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. The Tallulah and SOAP CR. SYBERT BEAVERDAM CR. Chattooga Rivers, which form the Tugaloo River on the BUFFALO CR. Augusta • Savannah R. STEPHENS LINCOLNTON PARKSVILE RAYLE STEVENSCR. EDGEFIELD Georgia-South Carolina state line, and the Whitewater FISHING CR. METASVILLE and Toxaway Rivers, which form the Keowee River in GUNDY CR. NORTH FORK South Carolina, start in the mountains of North Carolina. WASHINGTON CLARKS Savannah • PHILOMATH HILL The Keowee River and Twelve Mile Creek join near LAKE MODOC Clemson, South Carolina to form the Seneca River. KETTLE CR. LEATHERSVILLE HORN CR. BAIRDSTOWN ROCKY CR. DRY CR. The Seneca and the Tugaloo, the two principal headwater COLLIERS WOODVILLE streams, join near Hartwell, Georgia to form the CLARKS HILL ROPERS CROSSROADS CHEVES CR. Savannah. From that point the Savannah flows about SOUTH FORK 300 miles to the Atlantic Ocean. MERIWETHER L. HORSE CR. LITTLE R. UNION POINT
VAUCLUSE ROBINSON GERMAN CR. MORGANA HORSE CR. WILLIAMS CR. HART CR. GRANITEVILLE RAYTOWN AIKEN SHARON WARRENVILLE CRAWFORDVILLE CADLEY MONTMORENCI APPLING EVANS MIDDLE CR. BELVEDERE OAKWOOD MARTINEZ LANGLEY WINDSOR BARNETT KIOKEE CR. GLOVERVILLE CEDAR ROCK NORTH AUGUSTA KIOKEE CR. BURNETTOWN Rafters shoot the UCHEE CR. BATH CEDAR CR. PUMPKIN CENTER CLEARWATER rapids at Bulls Sluice NORWOOD HAMBURG on the Chattooga River, THOMSON MESENA AUGUSTA a Savannah River tributary. GROVETOWN BONEVILLE TOWN CR. BUTLER CR. HARLEM BEECH ISLAND NEW ELLENTON WHITE POND DEARING CAMPANIA
BOGGY CUT CR. GRACEWOOD AVONDALE BRIER CR. HOLLOW CR. BATH SPIRIT CR. TINKER CR.
JACKSON UPPER THREE RUNS MILL CR. HEPHZIBAH REEDY CR. BLYTHE
PAR POND
KEYSVILLE McBEAN CR. McBEAN MATTHEWS SNELLING WRENS STELLAVILLE LOWER THREE RUNS FOURMILE BR. PEN BR. GREENS CUT ZEBINA SAINT CLAIR
STEEL CR. MEYERS BR. NEWBERRY CR. SAVANNAH RIVER Monarch Butterfly Native Americans navigated
WAYNESBORO BRIER CR. the Savannah River long before MILLETT the discovery of America. MARTIN Rowers compete in the SWEETWATER CR. GIRARD annual Augusta Regatta. APPLETON ALEXANDER
SARDIS BEAVERDAM CR. BRIER CR.
MILLHAVEN
HILLTONIA WATCH CALL BR. Sea kayakers explore the river and coastal marshes. BEAVERDAM CR.
LEWIS
SYLVANIA ALTMAN
SCOTIA
BOGGY SWAMP HUNTERS The city of Savannah grew up along the river. Today, it is one of the most important GARNETT ports on the Atlantic Coast.
RUNS BR. KILDARE
American explorer and naturalist William Bartram left from CLYO the Savannah River town of Augusta to explore Southeastern SHAWNEE TILLMAN
America in the late 1700s. TURKEY CR. EGYPT
The lighthouse on Tybee Island was built in 1867. Georgia’s four state capitals before Atlanta STILLWELL Fishermen go after bass on Lakes Hartwell, Russell SPRINGFIELD EBENEZER CR. and Clarks Hill, all formed by the Savannah River. 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 The Savannah River RINCON LIMEHOUSE Milledgeville on the Oconee (1807-1864). corridor is home BLANFORD to a wide variety Dolphins swim in With the help of Tomo-Chi-Chi, Englishman of birds, mammals, the estuaries where James Edward Oglethorpe founded the colony fish, reptiles and plants. coastal rivers merge of Georgia in 1733 on the Savannah River. with the ocean.
MEINHARD MONTEITH
PORT WENTWORTH HILTON HEAD ISLAND BLOOMINGDALE POOLER Alligator GARDEN CITY DAUFUSKIE ISLAND
Fort Pulaski, built on the Savannah River between 1829 and 1847, was bombarded SAVANNAH by Federal artillery during the Civil War.
From the 1840s to the 1870s, a series of canals SAVANNAH diverting water from the Savannah River BEACH spurred commerce and industry in Augusta. TYBEE ISLAND
Paddleboats navigating the Savannah transported The docks at Tybee Island are home to one cotton and other farm products to Atlantic ports. of Georgia’s largest shrimping fleets.
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.