What's NEW in the Apalachicola, Chattahoochee, and Flint River Basin study?

Quality of the Drinking-Water Supply for Metropolitan Atlanta

Atlanta's population increased by about 35 percent between 1980 and 1995, making it one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the country. Unlike many large cities that are located near the mouths of large rivers, Metropolitan Atlanta is located near the headwaters of several major rivers. Nearly 100 percent of the drinking water for the metropolitan area is supplied by surface waters; about 84 percent from the Chattahoochee River and the remainder from tributaries and from the Etowah and Flint Rivers. Combined withdrawals provide water for approximately 3 million people.

The Drinking-Water Initiative is intended to provide an intensive assessment of water quality, an expansion of the water-quality data base, and development of an interactive information base including GIS coverages that suppliers, managers, and others could access.

The initial task of the DWI include assembling existing water-quality data into a standardized and quality assured data base, conducting reconnaissance-level sampling, and evaluating and analyzing those data, and developing updated landuse/landcover and point GIS coverages for the study area.