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No other aquatic region of North America has a higher percentage of endemic species than does the upper CoosaRiver basin in Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee.  Fully 30 species of fishes, mussels, snails, and crayfishes call the streams within this system – and nowhere else – home.  The conservation of this unique fauna is dependent upon clean, relatively silt-free, flowing waters.  Our task is to preserve this globally-significant biological treasure.

The Upper Coosa River Basin

The upper Coosa River basin refers to streams that combine to form the Coosa River in Rome, Georgia, including Weiss Reservoir, in Cherokee County, Alabama.  This river basin drains over 4,000 square miles across 14 counties in extreme southeast Tennessee, northwest Georgia, and northeast Alabama.  The basin is home to over 550,000 people. The average population density is 146 persons per square mile.  The Basin contains 3 distinct physiographic provinces: (1) Blue Ridge, the core of the ancient Southern Appalachian Mountains; (2) Ridge and Valley, the largest province with primarily limestone geology; and (3) Piedmont, gently rolling hills south and east of the Blue Ridge.  The diverse geography produces vastly different habitats and directly affects species diversity in the Basin. The major drainages of the Upper Coosa are formed by nine distinctive watersheds.

The Major Drainages of the Upper Coosa River Basin

Armuchee Creek. This system is located within the Ridge and Valley province and is confined to rural Walker, Chattooga, and Floyd counties in Georgia. Much of the watershed is located in the Armuchee District of the Chattahoochee National Forest. Armuchee Creek enters the Oostanaula River above Rome, Georgia, in the Berry College Wildlife Management Area. One species of pebblesnail may be restricted (endemic) to the watershed.

Big Cedar Creek. Located entirely within the Ridge and Valley province, the Big Cedar Creek watershed drains a portion of Polk and Floyd counties surrounding Cedartown and Cave Spring, Georgia. Land use in most of the basin is either in forest or agricultural. There are no known endemic species in the Big Cedar Creek watershed.

Chattooga River. The Chattooga River headwaters are located in LaFayette, Georgia. The river flows southwest through the towns of Trion and Summerville, Georgia, and Gaylesville, Alabama, before entering Weiss Reservoir. Most of the basin is in the Ridge and Valley province. Lands drained by the Chattooga are either forested or in agriculture. A small portion of the basin is located in the Chattahoochee National Forest. One species of crayfish is endemic to the watershed.

Conasauga River. The Conasauga River headwaters are located in the Blue Ridge province of northern Georgia and southeastern Tennessee, and drain sections of the Chattahoochee (Georgia) and Cherokee (Tennessee) National Forests. The river continues into the Ridge and Valley where it turns south and converges with the Coosawattee River just northeast of Calhoun, Georgia. Forests and agricultural lands dominate the watershed with intensive urban and industrial development in the Dalton and Chatsworth portions of the watershed. Two fishes, a snail, and a crayfish are endemic to the Conasauga watershed, as are the last populations of three mussel species. The Conasauga River ranks fourth nationally in the number of federally-listed threatened and endangered species in a single watershed.

Coosawattee River. The Coosawattee River basin is located primarily in the Blue Ridge province in Georgia but flows into the Ridge and Valley province below Carters Reservoir. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operates the hydroelectric dam on the Coosawattee River. This is the tallest earthen dam in North America. The dam creates a 400 foot deep reservoir that is the second deepest reservoir in the eastern United States. Forests comprise the vast majority of the watershed with agriculture common in the broader valleys. Below the dam, the Coosawattee River flows in a southwesterly direction and meets the Conasauga River just above Calhoun, Georgia, to form the Oostanaula River. Ellijay is the largest town in the subsystem. Two crayfishes and a fish are endemic to the Coosawattee River system.

Etowah River. The Etowah is the largest watershed within the upper Coosa and joins with the Oostanaula River at Rome, Georgia, to form the Coosa River. It flows in a westerly direction and is impounded by Allatoona Reservoir near the center of the basin. Portions of all three physiographic provinces are found in the system. Most of the Etowah’s headwaters are in the Piedmont with more northern tributaries draining portions of the Blue Ridge. The lower portion of the system is in the Ridge and Valley province. Significant portions of the drainage are either forested or in agriculture. Cartersville is the largest city, but Canton, Dawsonville, and
Jasper are prominent in the upper watershed. Due to its proximity to Atlanta, residential developments are spreading through much of the southern and eastern portions of the subsystem. At least four species of fish, a crayfish, and an aquatic insect are endemic to the system.

Little River. The Little River watershed begins on top of Lookout Mountain in Dade County, Georgia, then rapidly descends in a southwesterly direction through Cherokee and Dekalb counties, Alabama, before converging with Weiss Reservoir. The Little River hosts the only National Preserve -- Little River Canyon National Preserve -- in the upper Coosa River basin. Land coverage in the basin is mostly forest. There are no known endemic species limited to the Little River drainage.

Oostanaula River. The Oostanaula runs entirely within the Ridge and Valley province in northwestern Georgia, and is formed by the Conasauga and Coosawattee rivers near Calhoun. Flowing southward, the Oostanaula joins the Etowah River at Rome to form the Coosa River. Most of the drainage is forested (western portions of the subsystem are in the Chattahoochee National Forest), with the remaining watershed in agriculture. The Oostanaula River contains the last remaining population of a critically-imperiled snail.

Terrapin Creek. This watershed is located entirely within the state of Alabama. The creek flows in a northwesterly direction and connecting to the Coosa River near Centre, Alabama. Landuse in the basin is primarily agriculture and forest but the town of Piedmont is located within the watershed.  No species are known to be restricted to the Terrapin Creek watershed, but the stream is home to three federally-listed mussels.

Text Authored by:
Paul D. Johnson - TNARI, Cohutta, GA
Robert S. Butler - USFWS, Asheville, NC

Text Edited by:
Elizabeth Reitz - GA MNH / UGA, Athens, GA

Poster Concept and Design:
Paul D. Johnson - Concept, TNARI, Cohutta, GA
Jeffrey C. Worley - Design, Tennessee Aquarium, Chattanooga, TN