The South River is A HEADWATER TO Georgia’s LARGEST FRESHWATER SYSTEM THAT FEEDS the Atlantic Ocean on Georgia’s coast.
The South River Watershed
The South River flows southeastwardly for 60 miles from metro Atlanta to Jackson Lake, where it becomes the Ocmulgee. Its watershed drains ~544 sq miles and is a headwater to the largest freshwater system in the state.
The South River watershed drains approximately 544 square miles of creeks and streams across sections of Fulton, DeKalb, Clayton, Henry, Rockdale, Newton, and Butts Counties. The river is a headwater of Georgia’s largest freshwater system, the Ocmulgee and Altamaha River system, which feed the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of the largest freshwater systems on the Atlantic seaboard.
The South River is one of two urban-origin rivers in the state. Its springs were piped many decades ago, and so the river daylights from pipes in East Point, just north of Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport. The river flows southeastward across south Atlanta and seven counties on its way to Jackson Lake, which becomes the Ocmulgee River at Lloyd Shoals Dam.
The Ocmulgee flows to Macon where it meets the Oconee to become the Altamaha River – Georgia’s largest river. The Altamaha drains into the Atlantic Ocean on the Georgia coast near Darien and Little Saint Simons Island.
GEORGIA’S 14 RIVER BASINS
The South River is located in the Upper Ocmulgee basin (green). It is a headwater of the Ocmulgee River which feeds the Altamaha, Georgia’s largest river, and drains to the Atlantic Ocean on Georgia’s coast.
Photo credits: map c/o Georgia Department of Community Affairs; mantle image by @virginiedk
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