‘Pristine’ Conasauga River May Get Strictest Protections
A proposal is being made to classify the headwaters of the Conasauga River as Outstanding National Resource Waters.
JEFF MOORE / FLICKR.COM
The headwaters of the Conasauga River in north Georgia could get the highest level of federal pollution protections. The Georgia Environmental Protection Division is proposing the headwaters of the river be classified as Outstanding National Resource Waters, a category defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The river starts near the Tennessee border and flows north before passing through Dalton. Though it gets polluted farther downstream, the headwaters in the Cohutta Wilderness are pristine, said Jennette Gayer, the director of Environment Georgia.
“It is a really beautiful, cold, fast-flowing trout stream,” she said. “There are waterfalls and lots of biodiversity, so it’s a really special place.”
Her group has been pushing the state for these protections for years. Being categorized as ONRW would mean that the river would be kept in the same condition it’s in, and any activity that could lower water quality would be prohibited.
The proposal is part of the EPD’s updated water quality guidelines. That document will be submitted to the board of the Department of Natural Resources later this year, then needs approval from the EPA.
This is the first river in Georgia to be nominated for this level of protection.
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