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Flint River (Georgia)
Encyclopedia
- For other rivers named Flint, see Flint RiverFlint RiverFlint River may refer to:In Jamaica*Flint River *Flint River In the United States*Flint River *Flint River *Flint River *Flint River...
(disambiguation page).
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. The river drains 8460 square miles (21,911.3 km²) of western Georgia, flowing south from the upper Piedmont
Piedmont (United States)
The Piedmont is a plateau region located in the eastern United States between the Atlantic Coastal Plain and the main Appalachian Mountains, stretching from New Jersey in the north to central Alabama in the south. The Piedmont province is a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian division...
region south of Atlanta to the wetlands of the Gulf Coastal Plain
Gulf Coastal Plain
The Gulf Coastal Plain extends around the Gulf of Mexico in the Southern United States and eastern Mexico.The plain reaches from the western Florida Panhandle, the southwestern two thirds of Alabama, over most of Mississippi, some of western Tennessee and Kentucky, southwest Arkansas, the Florida...
in the southwestern corner of the state. Along with the Apalachicola
Apalachicola River
The Apalachicola River is a river, approximately 112 mi long in the State of Florida. This river's large watershed, known as the ACF River Basin for short, drains an area of approximately into the Gulf of Mexico. The distance to its farthest headstream in northeast Georgia is approximately 500...
and the Chattahoochee
Chattahoochee River
The Chattahoochee River flows through or along the borders of the U.S. states of Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. It is a tributary of the Apalachicola River, a relatively short river formed by the confluence of the Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers and emptying into Apalachicola Bay in the Gulf of...
rivers, it forms part of the ACF basin
ACF River Basin
The ACF River Basin is the watershed of the Apalachicola/Chattahoochee/Flint River Basin, in the United States, that begins in northern Georgia and flows into the Gulf of Mexico at Apalachicola Bay, near Apalachicola, Florida...
. In its upper course through the red hills of the Piedmont it is considered especially scenic, flowing unimpeded for over 200 miles (321.9 km).
Description
The Flint River rises in west central Georgia in the city of East PointEast Point, Georgia
The city of East Point is southwest of the neighborhoods of Atlanta in Fulton County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 33,712...
in southern Fulton County
Fulton County, Georgia
Fulton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. Its county seat is Atlanta, the state capital since 1868 and the principal county of the Atlanta metropolitan area...
on the southern outskirts of the Atlanta metropolitan area as ground seepage. The exact start can be traced to the field located between Plant Street, Willingham Drive, Elm Street, and Vesta Avenue. It then travels under the runways of the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport , known locally as Atlanta Airport, Hartsfield Airport, and Hartsfield–Jackson, is located seven miles south of the central business district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States...
. Flowing generally south through rural western Georgia, the river passes through Sprewell Bluff State Park
Sprewell Bluff State Park
Sprewell Bluff State Park is a 1,372 acre Georgia state park located between Roland and Crest. The park’s strategic location on the Flint River makes it a great place for swimming, fishing, kayaking, canoeing, and whitewater rafting...
, approximately 10 miles (16.1 km) west of Thomaston
Thomaston, Georgia
Thomaston is a city in and the county seat of Upson County, Georgia, United States. The population was 9,638 at the 2006 census. It is the principal city of and is included in the Thomaston, Georgia Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville,...
. Further south, it comes within 5 miles (8 km) of Andersonville
Andersonville, Georgia
Andersonville is a city in Sumter County, Georgia, United States. The population was 331 at the 2000 census . It is located in the southwest part of the state, about southwest of Macon, Georgia on the Central of Georgia railroad...
, the site of the Andersonville prison during the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. In southwestern Georgia, the river flows through downtown Albany
Albany, Georgia
Albany is a city in and the county seat of Dougherty County, Georgia, United States, in the southwestern part of the state. It is the principal city of the Albany, Georgia metropolitan area and the southwest part of the state. The population was 77,434 at the 2010 U.S. Census, making it the...
, the largest city on the river. At Bainbridge
Bainbridge, Georgia
As of the census of 2000, there were 11,722 people, 4,444 households, and 3,013 families residing in the city. The population density was 255.6/km² . There were 5,051 housing units at an average density of 285.2 per square mile...
it joins Lake Seminole
Lake Seminole
Lake Seminole is a reservoir located in the southwest corner of Georgia along its border with Florida, maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Chattahoochee and Flint rivers join in the lake, before flowing from the Jim Woodruff Lock and Dam, which impounds the lake, as the Apalachicola...
, formed at its confluence with the Chattahoochee River upstream from the Jim Woodruff Dam
Jim Woodruff Dam
Jim Woodruff Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Apalachicola River, about south of that river's origin at the confluence of the Flint and Chattahoochee Rivers. The dam is named in honor of James W. Woodruff, Sr., a Georgia businessman who spearheaded the development of the...
very near the Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
state line. The Apalachicola River then flows south from the reservoir to the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
.
The Flint River is fed by Kinchafoonee Creek
Kinchafoonee Creek
Kinchafoonee Creek is a creek in southwest Georgia. It originates near Buena Vista and flows southeasterly for to the Flint River near Albany, Georgia....
just north of Albany, and by Ichawaynochaway Creek
Ichawaynochaway Creek
Ichawaynochaway Creek is a creek in southwest Georgia. It rises near Weston in two forks and flows south-southeasterly for , joining the Flint River southwest of Newton....
in southwestern Mitchell County
Mitchell County, Georgia
Mitchell County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on December 21, 1857. As of 2000, the population was 23,932. The 2007 Census Estimate showed a population of 24,139. The county seat is Camilla.-Geography:...
, approximately 15 miles (24.1 km) northeast of Bainbridge.
In addition to Lake Seminole, the Flint River is impounded approximately 15 miles (24.1 km) upstream from Albany to form the Lake Blackshear
Lake Blackshear
Lake Blackshear is a man-made lake on the Flint River in Georgia created by a dam that was constructed in the late 1920s. It is approximately long and varies in width but is rarely more than one mile wide; it covers approximately . Interestingly, when the dam was constructed, little to no...
reservoir. The unimpeded nature of the river above Lake Blackshear is rare among U.S. rivers. It is one of only 40 rivers in the nation to flow over 200 miles (321.9 km) unimpeded. In the 1970s, a plan by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
to build a dam at Sprewell Bluff in Upson County
Upson County, Georgia
Upson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is a part of the Atlanta Metropolitan Area . It was created on December 15, 1824. As of 2000, the population was 27,597. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 27,562...
was defeated by the Governor of Georgia, Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
, whose hometown of Plains
Plains, Georgia
Plains is a city in Sumter County, Georgia, United States. The population was 776 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Americus Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Notable people:...
, coincidentally, is located near the Flint River.
Natural history
The river is considered to have three distinct sections as it flows southward through western Georgia. In its upper reaches in the red hills of the PiedmontPiedmont (United States)
The Piedmont is a plateau region located in the eastern United States between the Atlantic Coastal Plain and the main Appalachian Mountains, stretching from New Jersey in the north to central Alabama in the south. The Piedmont province is a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian division...
, it flows through a deeply incised channel etched into crystal
Crystal
A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituent atoms, molecules, or ions are arranged in an orderly repeating pattern extending in all three spatial dimensions. The scientific study of crystals and crystal formation is known as crystallography...
line rocks. South of its fall line
Fall line
A fall line is a geomorphologic unconformity between an upland region of relatively hard crystalline basement rock and a coastal plain of softer sedimentary rock. A fall line is typically prominent when crossed by a river, for there will often be rapids or waterfalls...
near Culloden
Culloden, Georgia
Culloden is a city in Monroe County, Georgia, United States. The population was 223 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Macon Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Culloden is located at ....
, the channel transforms to a broad, forested swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
y flood plain. South of Lake Blackshear
Lake Blackshear
Lake Blackshear is a man-made lake on the Flint River in Georgia created by a dam that was constructed in the late 1920s. It is approximately long and varies in width but is rarely more than one mile wide; it covers approximately . Interestingly, when the dam was constructed, little to no...
, it transforms again, flowing through a channel in limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
rock above the Upper Floridan Aquifer
Floridan Aquifer
The Floridan Aquifer is a portion of the principal artesian aquifer that extends into Florida and is composed of carbonate rock and located beneath the coastal regions of the Southeastern United States and is one of the world's most productive aquifers. It is under all of Florida as well as ...
below southwestern Georgia and northwestern Florida.
The river has been prone to flood
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
s throughout its history. In 1994, during flooding from Tropical Storm Alberto
Tropical Storm Alberto (1994)
Tropical Storm Alberto was the first storm of the 1994 Atlantic hurricane season. It hit Florida across the Southeast United States in July, causing a massive flooding disaster while stalling over Georgia and Alabama. Alberto caused $1 billion in damage and 30 deaths.-Meteorological history:A...
, the river crested at 43 feet (13.1 m) in Albany, resulting in the emergency evacuation
Emergency evacuation
Emergency evacuation is the immediate and rapid movement of people away from the threat or actual occurrence of a hazard. Examples range from the small scale evacuation of a building due to a bomb threat or fire to the large scale evacuation of a district because of a flood, bombardment or...
of over 23,000 residents, and creating one of the worst natural disaster
Natural disaster
A natural disaster is the effect of a natural hazard . It leads to financial, environmental or human losses...
s in the state's history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
. Interstate 75
Interstate 75
Interstate 75 is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. It travels from State Road 826 and State Road 924 in Hialeah, Florida to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, at the Ontario, Canada, border...
was closed in Macon
Macon, Georgia
Macon is a city located in central Georgia, US. Founded at the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is part of the Macon metropolitan area, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. Macon is the biggest city in central Georgia...
, and Albany State University
Albany State University
Albany State University is a four-year, state-supported, historically black university located in Albany, Georgia, United States. It is one of three HBCU's in the University System of Georgia.-History:-Establishment:...
was also seriously flooded, as the river became a few miles or several kilometers wide in some places. The water lifted casket
Casket
A casket, or jewelry box is a term for a container that is usually larger than a box, and smaller than a chest, and in the past was typically decorated...
s from cemeteries and left them along with drowned cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
and other livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
stuck in trees and other places. In 1998 another serious flood occurred in Albany, but was not as serious as the one of 1994. Other significant floods occurred in 1841 and 1925.
In January 2002, a winter storm
Winter storm
A winter storm is an event in which the dominant varieties of precipitation are formed that only occur at low temperatures, such as snow or sleet, or a rainstorm where ground temperatures are low enough to allow ice to form...
blew through Atlanta the day after New Year's Day
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome...
, and deicing
Deicing
For snow and ice control on roadways and similar facilities, see Snow removalDe-icing is defined as removal of snow, ice or frost from a surface...
fluid leaked into the river when the airport's drainage system overflowed. Nobody became seriously ill from the antifreeze
Antifreeze
Antifreeze is a freeze preventive used in internal combustion engines and other heat transfer applications, such as HVAC chillers and solar water heaters....
, which made it into drinking water
Drinking water
Drinking water or potable water is water pure enough to be consumed or used with low risk of immediate or long term harm. In most developed countries, the water supplied to households, commerce and industry is all of drinking water standard, even though only a very small proportion is actually...
for some, but the airport changed the system to avoid the problem in the future. This was not well-tested for several years since it was the last major snow event the city had seen due to several warm or dry winters. However there were no reports of problems after an unusually-heavy 4 inches (10.2 cm) officially fell at the airport at the beginning of March 2009.
In October 2009, American Rivers declared the Flint to be on the most endangered rivers in the country, mainly due to plans to put a dam on it.
In May 2009, the National Fish Habitat Action Plan named the Lower Flint River one of its "10 Waters to Watch" for 2009 for its habitat restoration work.
In popular culture
In Luke BryanLuke Bryan
Thomas Luther "Luke" Bryan is an American country singer who debuted in 2007 with the single "All My Friends Say", a Top 5 single on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. His debut album, I'll Stay Me, was released on Capitol Records in 2007. This album also produced chart singles in "We Rode in...
's 2008 song "We Rode in Trucks", he mentions the Flint River: "Down where I was born was Heaven on Earth, the Flint River washes that red Georgia dirt."
In Justin Moore's
Justin Moore (singer)
Justin Cole Moore is an American country music singer and songwriter signed to Big Machine Records imprint Valory Music Group. He has released two albums for Big Machine Records: Justin Moore in 2009 and Outlaws Like Me in 2011...
2011 song "If Heaven Wasn't So Far", he also mentions the Flint River: "Every day I drive to work across Flint River bridge, A hundred yards from the spot where me and grandpa fished, There's a piece of his old fruit stand on the side of Sawmill Road."