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The Chattahoochee River Basin begins in the southern Appalachian Mountains and flows along the Alabama-Georgia border, also extended partway through the Florida border.

The river stretches 434 miles and drains 8,770 square miles.

Source: Georgia River Network

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The Chattahoochee River Watershed provides water to 70 of the population of the metro Atlanta area, which totals around 450 million gallons of water to people a day. However, while it is located in Georgia primarily, the uses of the Chattahoochee's water supply significantly impacts Alabama and Florida as well.

Source: Chattahoochee Riverkeeper

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The majority of water usage from the Chattahoochee is for the purposes of generating power. In fact, 22 power generators are in place along the river's main stem.
Furthermore, there are 13 dams that have been built along the river in order to induce hydroelectric power.

Source: Georgia River Network

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The most significant impact of climate change on the Chattahoochee is the droughts that have been hurting the southwest.

Source

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One implemented solution that it working to help preserve the river is different groups who dedicated their mission to the conservation and protection of the Chattahoochee, such as one group known as the Riverkeeper operated by the Lake Lanier Aquatic Learning Center. Their services include but are not limited to, "offering education programs for youth and adults that address conservation and storm-water runoff and other sources of pollution." Additionally they partner with other groups for waterway cleanups. It may seem like such advocacy groups do little impact to such a huge issue but educating people on the seriousness of the situation and helping to improve the water quality in any way possible is actually very beneficial.

Source: Protecting the Chattahoochee River

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There are several parks that run alongside the Chattahoochee River. While they have many recreational uses, they also are critical to buffering much of the pollution that could enter into the river's water supply. By conserving these parks, people can help to prevent an even more intense decrease in the water quality of the Chattahoochee. Unfortunately, development is encroaching upon these necessary parks, since waterfront views are prime real estate. Groups are taking action to preserve these parks and thus contribute to the river's water quality.

Source: Save Chattahoochee Parks

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The Chattahoochee Nature Center aims to conserve the species residing in and around the Chattahoochee ecosystem, as well as educating the public about the Chattahoochee's services.

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Chattahoochee Nature Center in Roswell, GA

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Welcome to the Chattahoochee Nature Center!

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The Chattahoochee River receives about 50 inches of rainfall a year and less than one inch of snowfall. The watershed receieves reacharge from rainfall which occurs about 120 days per year. However, the increasing amount of droughts that Georgia has been experiencing may lead to a decrease of these statistics.

Source: National Park Service

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Currently the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin is considered the most endangered watershed in the United States in terms of possibility of depleting its water resources. A lot of this has to do with the lack of precipitation accompanying the droughts facing the area, however much responsibility falls on people for these devastating impacts. Climate change can be blamed for the excessive amount of droughts Georgia is facing, however human activity exacerbates the effects of global warming. Additionally implementing dams hurts the biodiversity and changes the structure of the ecosystem. Other land uses of the Chattahoochee put pressure on its services as well, and human pollution is contaminating the water source as well.
Source: Atlanta Journal

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The Chattahoochee river was a warm-water stream at the time of its formation. However, the implementation of dams in 1956 changed this and influenced many other factors. The first dam to be placed in the stream was called the Buford Dam. The water south of the Buford became a cold-water stream since the dam releases cold water. This additionally shifted the biodiversity of the river, since fish and other animals that required warmer waters for survival could no longer thrive there. The species that replaced the original ones were those more suited to survive in colder waters. Furthermore, the construction of the dams have destroyed the habitats of many of the species residing within or around the river.

Source: Sherpa Guides

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Two acts that are in place in attempt to structure the conservation of the Chattahoochee are the Metropolitan River Protection Act and the Chattahoochee Corridor Plan. These are plans that attempt to work with the flow of natural conditions of the land around the river that will help keep its supply sustainable. Such actions include avoiding clearing forests, which would lead to further erosion and pollution of waters, as well as reducing impervious surfaces which limit runoff from rainfall which is needed for recharge. The corridor is an buffer zone of 2000 feet on both sides of the river. The protection and maintenance of this land is a way in which quality and quantity of the Chattahoochee's water can be monitored and protected.

Source: Atlanta Regional

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Pollution from many sources has drastically brought down the quality of the river's water supply. According to the Washington Post in 2018, "Pollution from individual, municipal and industrial users in the Atlanta metro area was rampant, and pollutants were concentrated by drought conditions. But this pollution wasn’t just affecting metro Atlanta," (Bryan and Manganiello). The imense amount of pollution piling up along the river is a detriment to quality and also let to some inter-state political conflict.

Source: Washington Post

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One proposed but highly contested solution to the water scarcity issues of the Chattahoochee was presented in the 2018 Supreme Court Case of Florida v. Georgia. Florida wished to restrict the withdraws Georgia was making from the Watershed, since Georgia had been removing significant amounts of water to use for their agricultural purposes as well as more drinking water. Georgia officials, however, swore that these withdraws were necessary to supplement the growth and well-being of the Atlanta Metropolitan area. These conflicts have been ongoing since the creation of the dams in the river basin.

Source: Washington Post

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The novel Refuge: Rethinking Refugee Policy in a Changing World by Betts and Collier examines the perceived causes of an influx of immigration compared to the less-often discussed underlying circumstances. These are systemic problems that increase as globalization and industrialism have expanded over the years. "There are a range of reasons why extremely vulnerable people cross international borders that fall outside the traditional understanding of persecution. Environmental disturbance, including that due to climate change; generalized violence... and food and water insecurity," (Betts and Collier, 2017). Through this lens, one can see issues that will arise if watersheds no longer have a sustainable water supply. Already, scientists are fearful that water is being used up faster than precipitation will allow it to recharge. While in the case of the Chattahoochee, we may not see migration across international borders if this river dries up, there will still be over four million people who will have to relocate or turn to another nearby water source if the Chattahoochee's supply runs out.

Betts, Alexander and Collier, Paul. Refuge: Rethinking Refugee Policy in a Changing World. Oxford University Press, 2017.

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The Chattahoochee River is the habitat for many fish species such as trout, bass, catfish, and over 20 other species.. It also houses over 240 bird species. There are also several rabbit species, fawns and white-tailed deer in the nearby forests.

Source: National Park Service

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The Chattahoochee River, while necessary for supplying many vital services, is also well known for being beautiful recreation spot. Activities such as rafting, swimming, and fishing in the river are common activities.

Source: Explore Georgia

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Betts, Alexander and Collier, Paul. Refuge: Rethinking Refugee Policy in a Changing World. Oxford University Press, 2017.

Chapman, D. (2016, September 3). Chattahoochee tops list of 'most endangered' waterways in U.S. ajc. https://www.ajc.com/news/state--regional-govt--politics/chattahoochee-tops-list-most-endangered-waterways/Kr3ZSKFjttGYm2RALv8N9N/.

Chattahoochee River. Georgia River Network. (2019, October 3). https://garivers.org/chattahoochee-river/.

Manganiello, C., & Bryan, W. (2018, March 8). Perspective | There's a solution to the Southeast's water crisis. But will Georgia and Florida agree to it? The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/made-by-history/wp/2018/03/08/theres-a-solution-to-the-southeasts-water-crisis-but-will-georgia-and-florida-agree-to-it/.

Metropolitan River Protection Act. ARC. (2020, March 4). https://atlantaregional.org/natural-resources/water/metropolitan-river-protection-act/.

U.S. Department of the Interior. Weather. National Parks Service. https://www.nps.gov/chat/planyourvisit/weather.htm.

Protecting the Chattahoochee River. Lakeside On Lanier. http://www.lakesidenews.com/protecting-the-chattahoochee-river.

River Uses. Chattahoochee Riverkeeper. (2018, June 20). http://old.chattahoochee.org/river-uses/.

Save Chattahoochee Parks. Environment Georgia. https://environmentgeorgia.org/programs/gae/save-chattahoochee-parks.