Oconee River

[[Image:Oconee watershed.png|thumb|260px|Map of the Altamaha River system with the Oconee highlighted.]] The '''Oconee River''' is a {{convert|220|mi|km|adj=mid|-long}} river which has its origin in [[Hall County, Georgia]], and terminates where it joins the [[Ocmulgee River]] to form the [[Altamaha River]] near [[Lumber City, Georgia|Lumber City]] at the borders of [[Montgomery County, Georgia|Montgomery County]], [[Wheeler County, Georgia|Wheeler County]], and [[Jeff Davis County, Georgia|Jeff Davis County]]. South of [[Athens, Georgia|Athens]], two forks, known as the North Oconee River and Middle Oconee River, converge to form the Oconee River. [[Milledgeville, Georgia|Milledgeville]], the former capital city of Georgia, lies on the Oconee River. ==Course== The Oconee River passes through the [[Oconee National Forest]] into [[Lake Oconee]], a manmade lake, near the towns of [[Madison, Georgia|Madison]] and [[Greensboro, Georgia|Greensboro]] off [[Interstate 20]]. From Lake Oconee, the river travels to [[Lake Sinclair]], another manmade lake in [[Milledgeville, Georgia|Milledgeville]], the town founded on Georgia's [[fall line]] and former state capital. South of Milledgeville, the river flows unobstructed and later merges with the Ocmulgee River to form the Altamaha River. Along the river there are many [[sandbar]]s and [[oxbow lake]]s while the forest bottomland [[swamp]] surrounding the Oconee extends for miles, creating a very remote setting. ==Name origin== "Oconee" is the Anglicized form of the Itsati ([[Hitchiti]]-Creek) word ''Okvni'', which means "born from water" or "living on water."{{CN|date=November 2011}} This branch of the Creek was historically also referred to as the '''Ocute,''' the name used by the Spanish chroniclers of the [[Hernando de Soto]] Expedition in 1540, who transliterated the ''Hitchiti'' word ''Okvte''. Okvte means "Water People." According to Oconee-Creek tradition, their original homeland was in the Okefenokee Swamp of southeastern Georgia. A branch of the Oconee still lived in this vast expanse of wetlands during the 1600s, when it was nominally under the domain of Spain. Most of the Oconee Creek's traditional territory and towns were in present-day northeastern Georgia, northwestern South Carolina and in the Great Smoky Mountains. Colonists adopted the name of the local people for the [[Oconaluftee (Great Smoky Mountains)|Oconaluftee River]] in the [[Great Smoky Mountains]]; in the Hitchiti language, ''Oconaluftee'' means "separated Oconee people."{{CN|date=November 2011}} ===Fecal coliform bacteria=== One of the main sources of pollution comes from [[fecal coliform bacteria]], a bacteria found in human and animal feces. Fecal coliform enters the river through a number of sources; stormwater runoff leaving farmlands, stormwater runoff carrying pet waste, leaking septic and sewer line contaminating surface or groundwater, and sewer spills throughout the watershed. Fecal coliform can be deadly to humans if ingested or acquired through an open wound. Fish caught in the Oconee Basin may be eaten if cooked thoroughly. ===Fertilizer runoff=== The second biggest form of pollution in the river is [[fertilizer]]. This is measured by [[nitrogen]] [[parts per million]] found in regularly collected samples. The nitrogen from the fertilizers stimulates abundant growth of algae in the water. The effect is twofold: # The water becomes murkier from the algae growing in it. This inhibits sunlight's path to the bottom of the river and destroys naturally occurring plant life at the bottom of the ecosystem. # The algae eventually dies and rots in the water; as it decomposes, it pulls [[oxygen]] out of the river, killing fish, especially large ones. This affects other wildlife, including birds, dependent on the fish and the river for survival. ===Sedimentation=== The third largest source of pollution (?) is [[sediment]]ation, typically caused by construction and urbanization. Loose dirt washes away with rainwater, clouding the river and eventually settling to the bottom at a faster rate than the river can naturally carry away. This reduces clarity in the same way as the algae growth. In addition, the buildup of the bottom reduces the depth of the water, affecting flow and raising the temperature of the river, stressing the ecosystem. ==External links== * [http://www.orlt.com Oconee River Land Trust] {{coord missing|Georgia (U.S. state)}}