Coosa River

The Coosa River is a tributary of the Alabama River in the U.S. states of Alabama and Georgia. The river is about 280 miles (450 km) long. It begins at the confluence of the Oostanaula and Etowah rivers in Rome, Georgia, and ends just northeast of the Alabama state capital, Montgomery, where it joins the Tallapoosa River to form the Alabama River just south of Wetumpka. Around 90% of the river's length is located in Alabama.

The Coosa River is one of Alabama's most developed rivers. Most of the river has been impounded, with Alabama Power, a unit of the Southern Company, owning seven dams and powerhouses on the Coosa River. These dams produce hydroelectric power, but they are costly to some species endemic to the Coosa River. Coosa County, Alabama and Etowah County, Alabama are located on the Coosa River.

History

Native Americans lived in the Coosa Valley for thousands of years before European explorers arrived. In 1540, Hernando de Soto and his men were the first Europeans to visit the area.

Later, the British and the French both wanted control of the Coosa River because it was important for trade and travel. After wars between European powers, control of the area changed hands. By the late 1700s, the Creek and Cherokee peoples lived in different parts of the valley.

In the early 1800s, conflicts led to the removal of these Native American groups to areas west of the Mississippi River. After this, many new settlers came to the region.

The Coosa River was once an important route for riverboats, but natural obstacles like waterfalls made travel difficult. In the early 1900s, dams were built on the river, which helped improve health conditions by reducing malaria in the area.

Impoundments and sections

This section talks about the seven dams on the Coosa River, built from south to north by the Alabama Power Company. It also looks at the area below Jordan Dam.

The dams helped bring electricity to many places. Before 1912, only seventy-two towns in Alabama had electricity. But by 1928, when Jordan Dam started working, the company could give power to four hundred twenty-one towns across sixty-one counties. The electricity also helped many factories and industries, creating jobs for many people.

Impoundment/Section	Description	Images
Jordan Dam Tailwater	The Jordan Dam Tailwater flows approximate 7.5 miles into Wetumpka, Alabama, and it is a combination of pools, shoals and rapids. Alabama Power maintains minimum flow releases from Jordan Dam for whitewater boating and aquatic enhancement of the Coosa and Alabama Rivers below the dam. This section of river is home to the Moccasin Gap rapids, a class III whitewater.
Lake Jordan	Lake Jordan was impounded on December 31, 1928, and it was named after the maiden name (Jordan) of the mother of Reuben and Sidney Mitchell, who were instrumental in the construction of the Mitchell Dam on the Coosa River. The dam is 125 ft high, and it impounds 6800 acres (28 km2) of water. Lake Jordan has a surface elevation of 252' MSL and 180 miles of shoreline. The nearest town is Wetumpka, Alabama. It is an Alabama Power lake with a 100,000 Kilowatt generating capacity. Lake Jordan is also a recreational lake with fishing opportunities for largemouth bass, spotted bass, bluegill and other sunfish, crappie, catfish, striped bass, hybrid bass, and white bass. It was the location of the 2004 Bass Masters Classic Tournament. The lake has two public access sites maintained by Alabama Power.
Lake Bouldin	This was impounded on July 27, 1967, and it was named for Walter Bouldin. Lake Bouldin is part of Lake Jordan, and it is connected to Lake Jordan and the Coosa River by two manmade canals. Bouldin added 225,000 kilowatt generating power to the Lake Jordan system On February 10, 1975, an earth embankment section of Walter Bouldin Dam breached, causing total evacuation of the forebay reservoir and rendering the 225-MW power plant inoperable. No casualties or property damage (beyond the dam itself) were reported, and the dam was reconstructed later.
Lake Mitchell	Lake Mitchell was impounded on August 15, 1923, and it was named for James Mitchell, the President of Alabama Power from 1912 through 1920. The dam impounds 5850 acres (24 km2) of water, and it created a lake with 147 miles of shoreline. The nearest town is Clanton, Alabama. Lake Mitchell is an Alabama Power lake with a 170,000 kilowatt generating capacity. It is also a recreational lake with fishing opportunities for largemouth bass, spotted bass, bluegill and other sunfish, crappie, catfish, walleye, striped bass, hybrid bass, and white bass. Alabama Power maintains three public access sites on the lake.
Lay Lake	Lay Lake was impounded in 1914 and named after Captain William Patrick Lay, the first President of Alabama Power. The dam impounds 12,000 acres (49 km2) of water, with a shoreline of 289 miles. The nearest town is Columbiana, Alabama. Lay Lake is an Alabama Power lake with 177,000 kilowatt generating capacity. It is also a recreational lake with fishing opportunities for largemouth bass, spotted bass, bluegill and other sunfish, crappie, catfish, striped bass, hybrid bass, and white bass. Alabama Power maintains seven public access sites on the lake. Lay Dam was one of the earliest concrete dams in the U.S., and its construction helped pioneer dam building technology in the early 20th century.
Lake Logan Martin	Lake Logan Martin was impounded on August 10, 1964, and it was named after William Logan Martin, Jr. He was a circuit court judge in Montgomery who also served as the Attorney General for Alabama. The lake covers 15,263 acres (61.8 km2), and it has 275 miles of shoreline. The nearest town is Pell City, Alabama. Lake Logan Martin is an Alabama Power lake with a 128,250 kilowatt generating capacity. It is also a recreational lake with fishing opportunities for largemouth bass, spotted bass, bluegill and other sunfish, crappie, catfish, striped bass, hybrid bass, and white bass. Alabama Power maintains three public access sites on the lake.
Lake Neely Henry	Lake Neely Henry was impounded on June 2, 1966, and it was named for H. Neely Henry, a senior executive vice-president of the Alabama Power Company. The dam impounds 11,200 acres (45.3 km2) of water, and it has 339 miles of shoreline. The nearest town is Ohatchee, Alabama. Lake Neely Henry is an Alabama Power lake with a 72,900 kilowatt generating capacity. It is also a recreational lake with fishing opportunities for largemouth bass, spotted bass, bluegill and other sunfish, crappie, catfish, striped bass, hybrid bass, and white bass. Alabama Power maintains three public access sites on the lake.
Weiss Lake	The Weiss lake was impounded on June 5, 1961, and it was named for F.C. Weiss, a former chief engineer of Alabama Power. The dam impounds a 30,200 acres (122 km2) lake with 447 miles of shoreline. The nearest town is Leesburg, Alabama. Weiss Lake is an Alabama Power lake with an 87,750 kilowatt generating capacity. It is also a recreational lake with fishing opportunities for largemouth bass, spotted bass, bluegill and other sunfish, crappie, catfish, striped bass, hybrid bass, and white bass. Weiss Lake is known for its crappie fishing and often called the "Crappie Capital of the World". Alabama Power maintains five public access sites on the lake.

Flora and fauna biodiversity highlights

The Middle Coosa River Watershed is home to many rare plants and animals. There are 281 special places where these rare species live, including 73 spots with 23 types of plants and animals that need protection. Ten important areas were picked to help keep these species safe: the river, forests with oak, hickory, and pine trees, gray bats, plants along the river, forests with mountain longleaf pine trees, red-cockaded woodpeckers, special fish, mussels, and snails, southern hognose snakes, caddisflies, and rare plants. Protecting the Coosa River is very important because many of its water animals have already disappeared forever.

Category	Summary	Details (S)=State Status (F)=Federal Status
Aquatic gastropods (snails)	82 species. According to research, 26 of the historically known 82 species of aquatic gastropods living in the Coosa River Basin, are now considered extinct. In 2004, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources researchers discovered two, previously thought to be extinct, snails — The cobble Elimia and the teardrop Elimia — in a stretch of the Coosa River below Lake Neely Henry	Endangered, threatened, and rare species Threatened gastropods: round rocksnail (SF)
Amphibians	37 species of amphibians exist in the Coosa River Basin. (9 of the 37 species are considered of "Special Concern" by the Georgia Natural Heritage Program)	Endangered, threatened, and rare species Rare amphibians: green salamander is "rare" in Georgia (S)
Fish	87 species representing 17 families (13 of the fish species have been listed for protection by federal or state agencies as endangered, threatened, or rare.)The lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens), a threatened species and once prevalent in the Coosa River system until the 1960s, is being reintroduced by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. The Alabama sturgeon, a former resident of the Coosa River below the Fall Line, was placed on the endangered species list in September 2000.	Endangered, threatened, rare and invasive species Endangered fish: blue shiner (S), frecklebelly madtom (S), freckled madtom (S), amber darter (SF), Conasauga logperch (SF), freckled darter (S), Etowah darter (F) Threatened fish: bluestripe shiner (S), holiday (Ellijay) darter (S), coldwater darter (S), Etowah darter (S), Cherokee darter (SF), trispot darter (S), goldline darter (SF), blue shiner (F) Rare fish: bigeye chub (S), river redhorse (S)
Mussels	Freshwater mussels serve as natural filtration systems that help keep the water clean and clear. Georgia has 98 species of mussels laying its claim to the most diverse mussel fauna of the 50 states. Eleven species of these mussels native to the Coosa basin are currently listed or proposed for listing as endangered or threatened. 13 species are now extinct. Alabama had one of the richest and most diverse assemblages of mussels in the world with about 180 species. Approximately two-thirds of North American mussel species have been reported from Alabama.	Endangered, threatened, and rare species
Plants	The upper Coosa watershed in northeastern Alabama and north Georgia is home to the majority of the remaining clumps of the endangered green pitcherplant.	Endangered, threatened, and rare species Endangered plants: green pitcherplant (SF) Threatened plants: Coosa barbara buttons (SF), monkeyface orchid (S), Little River water plantain (S) Rare plants: Fraser loosestrife (S)
Reptiles	The southern hognose snake was a candidate species (C2) for listing as either threatened or endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). However, the USFWS discontinued the designation of C2 species as candidates for listing (50 CFR 17; 28 February 1996). The southern hognose snake is considered to be a species of concern, but more biological research and field study are needed to resolve its conservation status.	Endangered, threatened, and rare species Rare reptiles: southern hognose snake (S)
Birds and mammals	The bald eagle, once an endangered species now has nesting populations on and in the vicinity of Coosa River impoundments The largest concentration of clusters in Alabama of the red-cockaded woodpecker, an endangered species, occurs on lands adjacent to Lake Mitchell under the stewardship of Alabama Power.	Endangered, threatened, and rare species Endangered species: red-cockaded woodpecker (F), gray bat (F)

Tributaries

The Coosa River has many smaller rivers and streams that flow into it, called tributaries. These tributaries are grouped into sections based on where they are located in the area where the river collects water, called the watershed. In Georgia, four main tributary systems come together to create the main part of the Coosa River. These include the Conasauga and Coosawattee Rivers, which join to form the Oostanaula River. The Oostanaula River then meets the Etowah River in Rome, Georgia, creating the Coosa River.

Some other important tributaries of the Coosa River include Amicalola Creek, Armuchee Creek, Big Wills Creek, Cartecay River, Cedar Creek, Chattooga River, Chocolocco Creek, Coahulla River, Ellijay River, Hatchett Creek, Heath Creek, Little River, Mill Creek, Mountain Creek, Raccoon Creek, Rock Creek, Spring Creek, Sugar Creek, Terrapin Creek, Waxahatchee Creek, and Weogufka Creek (through Hatchett Creek).

Major cities

Many important cities are located along the Coosa River. Some of these cities include Gadsden, Alabama, which sits between Weiss and H. Neely Henry lakes, and Rome, Georgia, where the river begins. Other cities along the river are Rainbow City, Alabama, Childersburg, Alabama, Southside, Alabama, Wetumpka, Alabama, and Pell City, Alabama.

Advocates

The Coosa-Alabama River Improvement Association was started in 1890 in Gadsden, Alabama to help people use the Coosa River for travel and enjoy its benefits.

Other groups like the Alabama Rivers Alliance, Alabama Water Watch, the Alabama Power Foundation, the Coosa River Basin Initiative, and Coosa Riverkeeper work together to keep the river clean and healthy for everyone.