Report a Problem
Georgia law mandates the protection of 25-foot vegetated buffers along all state waters, including streams, lakes, rivers and marshland, and 50-foot buffers along state-designated trout streams (Georgia Erosion and Sedimentation Control Act 1975, as amended). The state Metropolitan River Protection Act requires a 50-foot natural buffer along the Chattahoochee River from Buford Dam to the downstream boundaries of Douglas and Fulton Counties (Chattahoochee Corridor), and a 100-foot set back for development from the outside of the 50-foot buffer. Tributaries within the Chattahoochee Corridor (2000 feet back from the River) require a 35-foot buffer. See Chattahoochee Corridor Plan. Some cities and counties have passed local ordinances to protect even wider buffers.
Natural streamside (riparian) buffers filter polluted runoff and provide a transition zone between water and human land use. Buffers are also complex ecosystems that provide high quality wildlife habitat. See Riparian Buffers and Chattahoochee Restoration Project
If you see any land disturbance or significant cutting of vegetation within the legally-protected buffer along a stream or the River, report the problem as recommended below.
Who to Call
Contact your local government first
If your city or county does not respond to the buffer problems, contact the state:
EPD/Nonpoint Source Branch: 404-675-6240
EPD Emergency Response: 404-656-6905
EPD Emergency Operations Center [24 hours/day]
(Atlanta area number) 404 656-4300
(Statewide number) 800-241-4113
Also contact UCR staff:
Jason Ulseth for buffer issues in watershed below Buford Dam - 404.352.9828 ext. 16. Darcie Holcomb for buffer issues in Headwaters Region (Hall, Lumpkin, White and Habersham Counties) - 770.531.1064.
Please also visit these sections:
Fish Kill
Sewage Spill
Non-sewage Spill
Muddy Water from Construction Sites
Land Use/Zoning Issues
Local Government Contacts
An example of adequate
buffer protection.
