| Flint River | |
|---|---|
 Jim Woodruff Dam, at the mouth of the Flint River | |
 Map of the Apalachicola River system with the Flint River in dark blue and its watershed highlighted. | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Flint River |
| • location | College Park, Georgia |
| • coordinates | 33°40′08″N84°26′24″W / 33.669°N 84.440°W /33.669; -84.440 |
| • elevation | 1,027 ft (313 m) |
| Mouth | Apalachicola River |
• location | Lake Seminole |
• coordinates | 30°43′44″N84°52′30″W / 30.729°N 84.875°W /30.729; -84.875 |
• elevation | 77 ft (23 m) |
| Length | 344 mi (554 km) |
| Basin size | 8,460 sq mi (21,900 km2) |
TheFlint River is a 344-mile-long (554 km)[1] river in theU.S. state ofGeorgia. The river drains 8,460 square miles (21,900 km2) of western Georgia, flowing south from the upperPiedmont region south ofAtlanta to thewetlands of theGulf Coastal Plain in the southwestern corner of the state. Along with theApalachicola and theChattahoochee rivers, it forms part of theACF basin. In its upper course through the red hills of the Piedmont, it is considered especially scenic, flowing unimpeded for over 200 miles (320 km). Historically, it was also called theThronateeska River.[2]
The Flint River rises in west central Georgia in the city ofEast Point in southernFulton County on the southern outskirts of the Atlanta metropolitan area asground seepage. The exact start can be traced to the field located between Plant Street, Willingham Drive, Elm Street, and Vesta Avenue. It travels under the runways of theHartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.[3] Flowing generally south through rural western Georgia, the river is fed by Line Creek, and Whitewater Creek in Fayette County. The river passes throughSprewell Bluff State Park, approximately 10 miles (16 km) west ofThomaston. Farther south, it comes within 5 miles (8 km) ofAndersonville, the site of theAndersonville prison during theCivil War.
In southwestern Georgia, the river flows through downtownAlbany, the largest city on the river. AtBainbridge it joinsLake Seminole, formed at its confluence with the Chattahoochee River upstream from theJim Woodruff Dam, very near theFlorida state line. From this confluence, the Apalachicola River flows south from the reservoir through Florida to theGulf of Mexico.
The Flint River is fed byKinchafoonee Creek just north of Albany, and byIchawaynochaway Creek in southwesternMitchell County, approximately 15 miles (24 km) northeast of Bainbridge.
In addition to Lake Seminole, the Flint River is impounded approximately 15 miles (24 km) upstream from Albany to form theLake Blackshear reservoir.
The Flint River is one of only 40 rivers in the nation to flow more than 200 miles (320 km) unimpeded by dams or other manmade systems, and is increasingly valued for that. In the 1970s, a plan by theU.S. Army Corps of Engineers to build a dam at Sprewell Bluff inUpson County was defeated byJimmy Carter, then theGovernor of Georgia, and other supporters. Carter's hometown ofPlains is located near the Flint River.
The river is considered to have three distinct sections as it flows southward through western Georgia. In its upper reaches in the red hills of thePiedmont, it flows through a deeply incised channel etched intocrystalline rocks. South of itsfall line nearCulloden, the channel transforms to a broad, forestedswampyflood plain. South ofLake Blackshear, it transforms again, flowing through a channel inlimestone rock above theUpper Floridan Aquifer below southwestern Georgia and northwestern Florida[citation needed].
The river has been prone tofloods throughout its history. In 1994, during flooding fromTropical Storm Alberto, the river crested at 43 feet (13 m) in Albany, resulting in theemergency evacuation of over 23,000 residents. It caused one of the worstnatural disasters in the state'shistory.Interstate 75 was closed inMacon, andAlbany State University was also seriously flooded, as the river became a few miles or several kilometers wide in some places. The water liftedcaskets fromcemeteries and left them, along with drownedcattle and otherlivestock, stuck in trees and other places.
Montezuma, Georgia was completely inundated after the Flint River topped the 29-foot levee protecting the town from floodwater. The official depth of the river at the height of the flood was estimated at 34 feet. The nearby gauge was underwater, making it impossible to get an accurate reading. Cleanup and restoration of Albany took months to complete. In 1998 another serious flood occurred in Albany, but it was not as damaging as the one of 1994.[4] Bainbridge also flooded in 1998. Other significant floods occurred in 1841 and 1925.
In January 2002, awinter storm blew through Atlanta the day afterNew Year's Day. The airport's drainage system overflowed, resulting indeicing fluid leaking into the river. Although theantifreeze entered thedrinking water of some residents, no one became seriously ill. The airport changed its drainage system to prevent the problem in the future. No problems were reported after an unusually heavy 4 inches (10 cm) of rain officially fell at the airport at the beginning of March 2009.
In May 2009, the National Fish Habitat Action Plan named the Lower Flint River one of its "10 Waters to Watch" for 2009 for its habitat restoration work. In October 2009, American Rivers placed the Flint on its list ofAmerica's Most Endangered Rivers, mainly due to new plans to put a dam on it.[5]
The Flint is one of four rivers in the southeast with significant remaining populations ofHymenocallis coronaria, the Shoals spider-lily. Four separate stands of the plant have been studied and documented in the river, ranging from Yellow Jacket Shoals to Hightower Shoals.[6]
InGone With the Wind, authorMargaret Mitchell describes the Flint River as bordering the fictional plantationTara.
Americancountry music singerLuke Bryan, a native of Georgia, references the river in his songs "That's My Kind of Night"; "Huntin', Fishin' & Lovin' Every Day"; and "We Rode in Trucks".
33°40′07″N84°26′23″W / 33.66861°N 84.43972°W /33.66861; -84.43972
