WATERSHEDS IN TRANSITION FROM RURAL TO DEVELOPED: THE TRIBUTARY STREAMS OF THE CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER IN CARROLL COUNTY, GEORGIA

The four principle tributary streams of the Chattahoochee River in Carroll County are from northeast to southwest Wolf, Snake, Acorn, and Whooping Creeks. All have at different times failed to meet the state of Georgia’s fecal coliform bacteria standard of a geometric mean of 200 colonies/100ml (April to November). Wolf Creek is about to be further negatively impacted by an increase in the amount of treated sewage that is to be sprayed within its watershed. The current output of treated sewage being sprayed is 20,000 gallons per day and the planned new facility will release 250,000 gallons per day. The Snake Creek watershed is the site of a new 650-acre drinking water reservoir that is currently filling. During the West Georgia Watershed Assessment of 2001 (an intense year-long watershed assessment of Carroll and Heard Counties), Snake Creek had the highest maximum, average, and mean for both turbidity and TSS. Whooping Creek is considered a baseline water quality stream for all of west Georgia and the metro Atlanta area. When the City of Carrollton proposed a drinking water reservoir on Whooping Creek, they were blocked because of the creeks status as a baseline water quality stream. Our data has indicated that Whooping Creek is no longer suitable as a water quality baseline stream because of the extensive development near its headwaters. As Whooping Creek continues to deteriorate another stream needs to be found to serve as a baseline water quality stream. The Hillabahatchee Creek in Heard County appears to be much better suited as a baseline water quality stream. Relative to the four tributary streams in Carroll County, Hillabahatchee Creek has an order of magnitude lower fecal coliform bacteria, turbidity, and TSS. We will continue to report the results from our ongoing weekly monitoring of Wolf Creek’s water quality, as well as field checks on all four streams to determine their chief sources of sediment. Sediment sources include one large active junkyard with many acres of constantly churned up bare “soil”, power line firebreaks that the streams cross and that are frequently used by many off-road vehicles, construction of new homes and businesses, dirt roads, farmland, and clear cutting of timber.