Exploring the Chattahoochee

Rebuilding Through Renovation

This week, I explored the Chattahoochee River from the entrance before Paces Ferry. Unfortunately, Paces Ferry was closed due to construction for a renewal project and is expected to be completed by May 2025 according to the US National Park Service (2024).

So, I entered the river through a nearby apartment complex (River Parkway) where my fiance currently lives. Even though I was bummed that I couldn't access the river from Paces Ferry, I was pretty glad to know that the Cumberland Community near Paces Mill was transforming the area to be more streamlined, navigable, and safe for all members of the community [NPS, 2024]. This is a great example of how the leadership of the people of the Cumberland Community has helped to improve livability in their area through renovation. Sometimes what we have is great, but when a community is becoming more diverse and the population count increases, it is up to the leaders of the community to build for a new reality and brighter future.

Who Goes Here?

By observing and communicating with some residents by the river, I've learned that many of the people are very similar. In Akers Mill, I've observed less people of color on the trails by the river. In Vinings, I've observed that there is more racial and ethnic diversity, but the attendees are usually of middle- and higher-income groups. If there is indeed increased diversity in the area, then where are the residents of color or of lower- and working-income groups?

Maintaining the Waterfront

Between July 2023 and November 2024, 94 sewage spills have been reported with above-legal levels of contaminants such as E. Coli (Mecke, 2025). The City of Atlanta was fined nearly $300,000 for these spills into the Chattahoochee with its R.M. Clayton Water Reclamation Facility to blame (Mecke, 2025). To make matters worse, Eric Mock (2024) from Fox 5 News reported that many residents aren't even aware of the sewage dumpings and interact with the river as if it was clean and safe.

As someone who regularly watches the news, this was not breaking news to me. However, I can imagine that people who are too busy or don't have the resources to watch or read the news may be the most vulnerable in these situations.

I have always wondered growing up: why was it that the river was always a murky brown or sometimes even a gray-ish color? I used to access it from Akers Mill in Marietta/near Atlanta and my parents never let me touch the water (and for good reason). This week, I decided to access the river from Paces Mill in the Vinings community (view the Portfolio Gallery below). Not once did I find the river to be a dark or dirty color - in fact, it was clear and I happily ran my hands in it knowing that it was as clean as possible. So then, if the river is capable of being clean, why is it only clean in certain areas and not others? How does this ultimately impact the wellbeing of the residents and the livability of the city? Is a single person or organization responsible or are all communities collectively responsible for keeping the river clean? How does this impact me as a community and CityLab leader?

Through research, I found that the cleanliness of the river varies significantly across different sections due to several factors:

Urbanization and Pollution
- Areas downstream of urban centers like Atlanta (Vinings and Marietta are 10-15 minutes away from Atlanta) experience lower water quality due to increased pollution from sewage overflows, stormwater runoff, and industrial effluent (Vanchosovych et al., 2017). What are ways that city planners can design communities to reduce the impact or presence of these issues?
Tributaries and Runoff
- Tributaries feeding into the river can carry pollutants from agricultural runoff in rural areas and urban runoff in developed areas (Vanchosovych et al., 2017).
Regulations and Enforcement
- It's no secret that despite having regulatory laws like the Clean Water Act, companies and facilities violate these regulations and, oftentimes, without accountability (Atlanta Magazine, 2017). So, how do we hold these groups accountable?

Based on some conversations held by the river, people are concerned that the cleanliness of the river only negatively impacts residents' wellbeing and the city's livability in several ways:

Causing increased health risks especially for those who engage in river activities or whose water source is from the river
Increasing residents' stress and anxiety over the safety of the water
Limiting recreational activities that may impact local economies and community engagement
Harming aquatic life and ecosystems, negatively impacting biodiversity

Personally, I believe that any challenge in a community is a collective responsibility because the community is only as strong as its weakest link. Thus, it's imperative that government agencies, community organizations, and residents all pitch in in various ways defined by their power and agency to keep the river clean and safe for all communities.

As a CityLab Leader, I believe it is my responsibility to at least set some time to engage with these issues. That could look like many things:

I can raise awareness about the river's health and how to protect it
I can collaborate with organizations like the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper to support water quality monitoring and cleanups
I can advocate for policy changes at town halls for stricter regulations and better infrastructure to prevent river pollution