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| rivers of alabama | |
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The Coosa River Basin is one of the rainiest places in the US, with the average Precipitation rate ranging from 52 to 64 inches per year. Except for parts of Hawaii, only two areas in the Northwest States of Washington and Oregon get more rain than the Coosa River Basin. There are a total of seven Dam s between Georgia and the Coosa’s confluence with the Tallapoosa River which alter the Coosa River's natural flow for almost its entire length in Alabama. Although the idea of using the Coosa as a navigational waterway into the interior of northeastern Alabama never materialized, Hydroelectric Power dams have proved very valuable to the people of Alabama, but costly to the species located in the mainstem of the Coosa River. In Alabama itself, most of the river has been impounded, with Alabama Power , a unit of the Southern Company , maintaining 6 power dams on the Coosa to this day. HISTORY Native Americans had been living on the Coosa Valley for centuries before Hernando De Soto and his men became the first Europeans to discover it in 1540 . De Soto used the help of the native tribes for their food and natural resources as they explored the valley (present-day Alabama and Georgia). However, the natives were not pleased with the manner in which de Soto ravaged their land, forcing the Choctaw chief, Tascalusa , to stage an attack on de Soto and his men in Mauvila , in the south of Alabama. Although the battle was won by the Spanish, de Soto soon left the state demoralized and headed westward. However, the toll on the tribes were far greater, with the widespread disease, especially smallpox, left by the Spanish killing off many of Choctaw tribes over a period of decades. A couple of decades after the Spanish left the Coosa Valley, the British established heavy trading ties with the tribes around the early 17th Century , much to the dismay of France . The French believed that the Coosa River was a key gateway to the entire South and they earnestly wanted to control the valley, since the main transportation of the day was by Boat . The convergence of the Coosa and Tallapoosa Rivers was the gateway to Mobile Bay , which was where the Europeans docked coming and going from their home countries. However, towards the late 17th century, almost all trade (British or otherwise) ceased with the rampant tribal uprisings brought on by the Yamasee uprising in the Carolinas . Yet the bickering over control of the area between France and Britain did not stop, even with the mass migration of Europeans from the Coosa valley. It wasn't until the Treaty Of Paris was signed in 1763 that France relinquished its holdings east of the Mississippi River. After the United States won its independence, the remaining tribes formed a union called the Upper Creeks , which was defeated by General Andrew Jackson at the Battle Of Horseshoe Bend . Afterwards, the Treaty Of Fort Jackson in 1814 gave the Creeks land between the Coosa and Tallapoosa Rivers, but they were edged out by white settlers who had begun moving into the places which were not included in the nation. The first river town to form in the Coosa Basin settled at the foot of the last water falls on the Coosa River, the Devil’s Staircase , with the town name Wetumpka (or "falling stream") adopted shortly thereafter. BIOLOGY 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! 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.) Endangered fish species of the Coosa River Basin (State Status): Blue Shiner, Frecklebelly Madtom, Freckled Madtom, Amber Darter, Conasauga Logperch, Freckled Darter Endangered fish species of the Coosa River Basin (Federal Status): Etowah Darter, Amber Darter, Conasauga Logperch Threatened fish species of the Coosa River Basin (State Status): Bluestripe Shiner, Holiday (Ellijay) Darter, Coldwater Darter, Etowah Darter, Cherokee Darter, Trispot Darter, Goldline Darter Threatened fish species of the Coosa River Basin (Federal Status): Blue Shiner, Cherokee Darter, Goldline Darter Rare fish species of the Coosa River Basin: Bigeye Chub, River Redhorse Amphibian Species: 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)
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! Endangered plant species of the Coosa River Basin (State Status): Green Pitcherplant Endangered plant species of the Coosa River Basin (Federal Status): Green Pitcherplant Threatened plant species of the Coosa River Basin (State Status): Coosa Barbara Buttons, Monkeyface Orchid, Little River Water-Plantain Threatened plant species of the Coosa River Basin (Federal Status): Coosa Barbara Buttons, Little River Water-Plantain Rare plant species of the Coosa River Basin (State Status): Fraser Loosestrife TRIBUTARIES The Coosa River's drainage has hundreds of tributaries, which have been divided into sections based on the different areas of the Watershed . The first four sections are tributary systems that converge to form the main artery of the Coosa River in Georgia. These main tributary rivers are the Conasauga and Coosawattee Rivers, which together then form the Oostanaula River. The Oostanaula then joins with the Etowah River in Rome, Georgia, forming the Coosa River. Other significant tributaries of the Coosa are:
The Coosa River consists of the following lakes starting north to south:
MAJOR CITIES Four cities lie on the banks of the Coosa River. They include: |
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