Conasauga River

Conasauga River
Origin	Cohutta Mountain
Mouth	Oostanaula River near Calhoun, GA
Length	93 miles (150 km)
Source elevation	~ 2,400 feet (730 m)[1]
Mouth elevation	~ 610 feet (190 m)[2]
Basin area	772 sq mi (2,000 km2)

The Conasauga River is a river that runs through southeast Tennessee and northwest Georgia. The Conasauga River is 93 miles (150 km) long^[3] and is home to 90 species of fish and 25 species of freshwater mussels.^[4] The Conasauga River watershed encompasses over 500,000 acres (2,000 km²) in two states, multiple counties, and two ecologically different regions.

River location and natural information

The Conasauga River is the most westerly trout water on public land in Georgia.^[5] At its core is the 35,268-acre (142.72 km²) Cohutta Wilderness, located in Fannin, Gilmer, and Murray counties in Georgia and Polk County in Tennessee and managed by the United States Forest Service as part of the Chattahoochee National Forest and Cherokee National Forest. The preserve covers over 95,000 acres (380 km²) and contains approximately 15 miles (24 km) of the Conasauga. The waters yield wild rainbow trout and wild browns, with rainbows up to 20 inches (510 mm) and browns to 9 pounds (4.1 kg). The managed land is populated by white-tailed deer, wild hogs, black bears, and smaller animals. The only road access to the Conasauga is found via Old GA 2, GA 2, and Carlton Petty Rd. Access via foot trail is located on FS 64 in Betty Gap. Three other trails descend from the west off FS 17 to intersect the river trail. From south to north they are the Chestnut Lead, 2.0 miles (3.2 km), Tearbritches Trail, 4.0 miles (6.4 km), and Hickory Creek Trail, 3.0 miles (4.8 km). Primitive camping is allowed all along the river.

The Conasauga River is:^[6]

• Home to more than 90 fish species, including 12 Federally listed species of fish and mussels.
• Historically, home to 42 species of freshwater mussels, of which 25 species still exist. It is estimated that only 1% of original population remains.
• Category 1 priority watershed in the state’s Unified Watershed Assessment.
• 18 miles (29 km) of the river and 54 miles (87 km) of the tributaries are on Georgia’s List of Impaired Waters for fecal, metal, toxic chemical, sediment, and nutrients.
• One-third of the summer flow taken in vicinity of Dalton, Georgia, for carpet production.
• Contaminated with perfluorinated compounds used to make carpets stain-resistant.^[7][8][9]
• The only river in Tennessee not a part of the Mississippi River Watershed.

Variant names

According to the Geographic Names Information System, Conasauga River has also been known historically as:^[10]

• Connasauga River
• Connesauga River
• Conne-san-ga River
• Slave River
• Jacks River

References

1. ^ U.S. Geological Survey. Dyer Gap quadrangle, GA. 1:24,000. 7.5 Minute Series. Washington D.C.: USGS, 1988.
2. ^ U.S. Geological Survey. Calhoun North quadrangle, GA. 1:24,000. 7.5 Minute Series. Washington D.C.: USGS, 1982.
3. ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed April 27, 2011
4. ^ Conasauga River Alliance
5. ^ Gorp.com
6. ^ Conasauga River Watershed Ecosystem Restoration Project
7. ^ Fuchs, Erin and Pam Sohn: "Study finds high levels of stain-resistance ingredient in Conasauga River" Chattanooga Times Free Press. (February 10, 2008). Accessed October 26, 2008.
8. ^ "The Chemical in The Conasauga". Georgia Public Broadcasting. http://www.gpb.org/georgiagazette/conasauga/chemical. Retrieved 4 December 2009. 
9. ^ Konwick BJ, Tomy GT, Ismail N, Peterson JT, Fauver RJ, Higginbotham D, Fisk AT (October 2008). "Concentrations and patterns of perfluoroalkyl acids in Georgia, USA surface waters near and distant to a major use source". Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 27 (10): 2011–8. doi:10.1897/07-659.1. PMID 18419175. 
10. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Conasauga River

See also

• Laurel Fork Railway

External links

• The Conasauga River - The Nature Conservancy