Chattahochee River modeling project : Phase I report : Storm water monitoring

Law Engineering and Environmental Services, Inc.

The Chattahoochee River between Buford Dam and the headwaters of West Point Lake (hereafter referred to as the study area) is one of the most important water resources in Georgia. The Environmental Protection Division, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, (GAEPD) is currently conducting the Chattahoochee River Model Project (CRMP) to evaluate the water quality of this River segment. This river segment supplies over 70 percent of the Atlanta metropolitan region drinking water, receives approximately 320 million gallons per day of treated wastewater, and provides both peaking hydroelectric power, as well as cooling water for conventional thermal power generation. The River is the focal point of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, whose users fish in one of the southernmost trout fisheries in the United States, swim and raft, and enjoy the river's scenic and natural beauty. Downstream from the study area, water users rely upon the River to satisfy their needs for drinking water, irrigation, assimilative capacity, navigation, recreation, and ecological protection. Competing demands and a rapidly expanding Atlanta region have made the Chattahoochee River and its management the focus of great interest. GAEPD is responsible for implementing water quality standards in Georgia. GAEPD administers the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting program for the State. As water quality management issues in the study area become more complex, GAEPD recognizes the limitations of the steady-state water quality model they have used to support regulatory decisions for this river segment. Consequently, the CRMP will replace the State's outdated water quality model with a state-of-the-art dynamic computer model and data analysis tools. These advanced modeling and analysis tools are being designed to address the water quality and regulatory issues facing the Chattahoochee River study area well into the twenty-first century.