CCommunityommunity AAssessmentssessment - 44.1..1. NNaturalatural RResourcesesources 4.1 NATURAL RESOURCES Environmental Planning Criteria Environmental condi ons place certain opportuni es and constraints on the way that land is u lized. Many areas and resources that are vulnerable to the impacts of development require protec on by government regula on and by other measures. Soil characteris cs, topography, and the frequency of ood- ing are just a few of the factors that a ect where development can safely and feasibly be accommodated. Other areas such as wetlands, forest areas, and sensi ve plant and animal habitats are also vulnerable to the impacts of development. As the City of Atlanta and the surrounding areas con nue to grow, the conser- va on of exis ng and nding opportuni es for the protec on of environmen- tally-sensi ve and ecologically-signi cant resources is becoming increasingly Cha ahoochee River is the City and the important. The City of Atlanta’s vision is to balance growth and economic de- Region’s main water resource. velopment with protec on of the natural environment. This is to be done in conjunc on with the statewide goal for natural resources, which is to con- serve and protect the environmental and natural resources of Georgia’s com- muni es, regions, and the State. The City of Atlanta takes pride in the diversity of natural resources that lie within its city limits. Whether enjoying the vista that the Cha ahoochee River o ers or making use of the many parks and trails that traverse the city, or the urban forest, the City of Atlanta has an abundance of natural resources which need protec on and management. An understanding of the exis ng condi ons provides the founda on for developing appropriate community programs through the planning process. The Georgia Department of Community A airs Minimum Planning Standards requires that the City of Atlanta iden fy resources de ned in the Environmen- tal Planning Criteria: water supply watersheds, groundwater recharge areas, wetlands, protected river corridors and mountains. This sec on provides an Peachtree Creek is one of the main Chat- inventory of the natural and environmentally sensi ve resources, including thochee River tributaries in the City of the minimum criteria, which are located within the City. This sec on also Atlanta. iden es the programs, regula ons, and ac vi es currently in place to pro- tect these natural resources. Addi onally, this sec on addresses the issues, problems and opportuni es associated with these resources. Water Resources The City of Atlanta has abundant and valuable streams, rivers, lakes, and wet- lands. These natural water features support a wide variety of uses for its ci - zens, from drinking water to recrea on and irriga on. Addi onally, water pro- vides wildlife habitat for both aqua c (water living) and terrestrial (land living) animals. Both animals and humans depend on having a clean water source for survival. Therefore, the forces that impact the health of the local water supply are important to understand. This sec on includes an inventory of the City’s water resources including its watersheds, rivers and streams, water supply watersheds, wetlands and oodplains. North Utoy Creek in a DWM Conserva on property. 143 CCommunityommunity AAssessmentssessment - 44.1.1 NNaturalatural RResourcesesources Watersheds Atlanta is the mee ng point for ten major stream drainage basins and smaller por ons of 5 addi onal drainage basins, which supply two River basins—the Cha ahoochee River and the Ocmulgee River. On the West and North sides of the City, the Cha ahoochee River is supplied by seven stream drainage basins: Long Island Creek, Nancy Creek, Peachtree Creek, Proctor Creek, Sandy Creek, Utoy Creek, Camp Creek and Bakers Ferry basins. In the Southeast sec on of the City, the Ocmulgee River is supplied by three stream drainage basins: Sugar Creek, Intrenchment Creek, South River, Dooli le Creek, Flint River, Mud Creek, and Shoal Creek. (The Bakers Ferry Basin and Dooli le Creek, Flint River, Mud Creek, and Shoal Creek subwater- sheds have only limited extent within the City of Atlanta and are not further addressed because they are predominantly located within and managed by Nancy Creek is one of the main streams in other jurisdic ons). the Cha hoochee River watershed. Each stream drainage ba- Table4.11:CityofAtlantaRiverBasinsandPrimaryTributaryWatersheds sin watershed is bound- ed by ridgelines which PrimaryTributary RiverBasin PrimaryRidgeLinesandstreetnetwork cradle oodplain valleys Watersheds where the headwaters of Chattahoochee LongIslandCreek East :RidgewoodRoadandMountParanRoad. several tributary creeks NancyCreek West: Ridgewood Road and Mount Paran Road South: Moore'sMill Road and originate as springs. WestPace'sFerryRoad,PeachtreeRoad. PeachtreeCreek North: Wesley Parkway, Moore's Mill Road and West Pace's Ferry Road, These spring waters ow PeachtreeRoad. into the principal creek, West: Northside Drive, West Marietta Street, Marietta Road, South across SouthernRailway/InmanYards,JamesJacksonParkway. which eventually ows SandyCreek North: HightowerRoad,BankheadHighway,Interstate285. through a stream way UtoyCreek South: MartinLutherKing,Jr.Drive,GordonRoad/ corridor and oodplain to supply a river. North GordonStreet,MartinLutherKing,Jr.Drive,GordonRoad. East ChattahoocheeOcmulgeeTwoRiverRidgeLine From Atlanta’s earliest days, the network of its RailroadlineborderingMurphyAvenueandLeeStreet. major arterial roads has South: CampbelltonRoad. followed the ridgeline Ocmulgee SugarCreek North :ChattahoocheeOcmulgeeTwoRiverRidgeLine. network bordering the river and stream basins. DeKalbAvenue,borderingtheSeaboardRailwayandtheCSXRailwayline. The rela onship between SouthRiver Atlanta’s stream basin IntrenchmentCreek North: ChattahoocheeOcmulgeeTwoRiverRidgeLine. ridgeline system and the roadway framework is DeKalbAvenueandForsythStreetrailroad,borderingPetersStreet. shown in Table 4.1-1. East: FlatShoalsAve.,BouldercrestDrive The two con nental West: WhitehallTerrace,RidgeAvenue,andMcDonoughBoulevard. plates that comprise each river basin interface in the Central Business District (CBD). This plate boundary runs along a ridge line which originates east of Atlanta, travels westward to enter the City along what is now DeKa- lb Avenue, crosses Woodru Park to Forsyth Street, and then arches to the southwest, paralleling Spring Street and Peters Street. The headwaters/springs for several creeks in the Cha ahoochee River Basin 144 CCommunityommunity AAssessmentssessment - 44.1..1. NNaturalatural RResourcesesources (! (! (! (! 400 (! ¬ « N ¨¦§75 O (! RTHSIDE P W (! (! ! ( P R D I EE E R D T M H O (! C N A (! T E (! P ! ! R «¬400 ( (! ( D (! (! (! (! (! (! (! (!! ( (! (! GA 400 SB (! (! W J (! N A R M D E E S D I J (! ¨¦§85 A (! ! S (! (! C (! ( H (! T K R S (! O O ! BUFORD HW ( N N P W (! (! (! (! (! (!(! BL (! L IA (!R T S (! U D (! (! (! IN (! N (! (! O ! T (! ( I-7585 L FREEDOM PW U H F A (! M (! (! SB I L ! (! T ( (! O (!(! N (! E (! (! H (! O (! EDOM PW (! L FRE (! M (! (! ! (! E ( S D (! (! R (! (! (! (! TRIN (! (! (! (! ¨¦§20 I 7585 T TY I- (!(!S A (! S V (!! ( R TE §20 P E ¨¦ (! (! (! (! (! (! (! (! (! !( §¨¦285 (! (! (! ¨¦§20 (! I-7585 NB (! (! (! (! (! (! Legend (! T (! (! High Points (! (! S (! M E CD (! E O NO Interstates L U SB G (! (! H B (! (! (! L Other Limited Access 7585 ! I- ( (! (! State Route ! ( Arterial Roads (! (! ARTHUR LANGF Bakers Ferry C(! (! (! ORD PW (!AMPBELL (! (! (!(! (! TO (! Camp Creek N R D (! §¨¦285 Doolittle Creek Flint River ! Intrenchment Creek ( (! (! Long Island Creek (! Mud Creek (! (! Nancy Creek (! ¨¦§75 Peachtree Creek Proctor Creek (! (! Sandy Creek Shoal Creek (! South River (! Sugar Creek Utoy Creek Atlanta's High Points and Watersheds COORDINATE SYSTEM: THIS MAP IS PROVIDED AS A PUBLIC SERVICE NAD 1983 STATE PLANE GEORGIA WEST MAP UNITS: The City of Atlanta has made known that this Data contains known errors and CITY OF ATLANTA U.S. SURVEY FEET inconsistencies. The city of Atlanta in no way ensures, represents or warrants the accuracy and/or reliability of the Data and/or map products being developed. The user of the Data and SCA LE: MAP SHEET #: DEPARTMENT OF WATERSHED MANAGEMENT or map products assumes all risks and liabilities which may arise from the information N / A 2 of 2 produced by Maps or Data furnished to User by the City of Atlanta. DATE: MAP REQU EST #: 07/29/2010 13322 Map 4.1-1: Atlanta’s High Points and Watersheds 145 CCommunityommunity AAssessmentssessment - 44.1.1 NNaturalatural RResourcesesources and the Ocmulgee River Basin originate within a een-block radius of the Five Points intersec on. Waters from these springs are currently routed to the storm sewer system that carries the water to the rivers via ou all pipes, which feed the creeks. A por on of 10 watersheds are located within the City of Atlanta (See Map 4.1-1 Atlanta’s High points and Watersheds and Map 4.1-2). Programs and Regula ons Several programs and regula ons are in place to protect the rivers and streams in Atlanta’s watersheds. These are discussed below. Metropolitan River Protec on Act: Metropolitan River Protec on Act: As the Region’s primary drinking water source, the Cha ahoochee River has always been a priority for resource protec on by the City of Atlanta, the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) and the State of Georgia. In 1973, the Georgia Assembly enacted the Metropolitan River Protec on Act, which establishes a 2000 foot corridor along both banks of the Cha ahoochee River