Effects of flow alterations on trout, angling, and recreation in the Chattahoochee River between Buford Dam and Peachtree Creek

In 1974 county governments in the Atlanta vicinity realized that
demands on the Chattahoochee River for water supply plus the streamflow
required for water quality nearly equaled the minimum flow in the river.
Increased demands for water supply in the following years could not be
supplied under the then existing flow regime in the river. In response
to the anticipated shortage of water, the Atlanta Regional Commission, a
multicounty agency responsible for comprehensive regional planning in
the Atlanta region, was contracted to prepare water demand projections
to the year 2010 and identify alternatives for meeting projected water
demands. The results of this study are published in an extensive final
report, the Metropolitan Atlanta Area Water Resources Management Study
(1981). Requests for copies should be directed to the District
Engineer, Savannah District.

Many of the identified alternatives to increase future water supply
for the Atlanta area would result in modifications to the present flow
regime within the Chattahoochee River between Buford Dam (river mile
348.3) and its confluence with Peachtree Creek (river mile 300.5). The
present preferred alternative is construction of a reregulation dam at
about river mile 342. The proposed reregulation dam would release a
much more constant flow than the peaking flows presently released from
Buford Dam (generally, a maximum release of approximately 9000 cfs or
minimum release of about 550 cfs) by storing the generation releases
from Buford Dam for gradual release during non-generation periods. The anticipated minimum release from the rereg dam would he approximately
1U5U cfs (based on contractual obligations to the Southeast Power
Administration to supply a minimum of 11 hours of peaking power per week
from Buford Dam). The average annual release from the proposed
reregulation dam into the Chattahoochee River would be approximately
2000 cfs (based on USGS flow records) and the median release would he
approximately 1500 cfs (value obtained from Savannah District). The
proposed reregulation dam would have sufficient storage to provide some
opportunity for flow management to optimize uses other than water supply
and water quality.

Flow modifications (and resultant water quality changes) within
this reach of the Chattahoochee River to meet increased demands for
water supply may have an effect on other beneficial uses of this
important natural resource. In addition to supplying a significant
proportion of the water supply for metropolitan Atlanta and providing
for water quality, the Chattahoochee River also is used extensively for
recreation and supports a valuable trout fishery. Altered flows in the
channel to meet water supply needs may have an impact on river
recreation and trout habitat.