UCR Fact Sheet

Who: Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper (UCR) – a nonprofit 501(c)(3), environmental advocacy organization with 5,500 members, the 11th licensed program in the international Waterkeeper Alliance, now 191 organizations strong.

What: UCR is dedicated solely to protecting and restoring the Chattahoochee River Basin — drinking water source for 3.5 million people. UCR works to advocate and secure the preservation and stewardship of the Chattahoochee River, its tributaries and watershed, for the people, fish and wildlife that depend on the river system.

Where: The Chattahoochee River's headwaters start in the north Georgia mountains above the town of Helen.  The river flows downstream through Lake Lanier, metro Atlanta and West Point Lake, and continues through Columbus, Lake Walter F. George, and eventually meets with the Flint River to become the Apalachicola River. Along its entire length, the Chattahoochee is impacted by overuse and waste; unplanned development; polluted storm runoff and trash from industries, roads, and construction sites; and discharges from sewage treatment plants.

When: UCR was established in 1994 and is still led by its founding director, Sally Bethea, and co-founders, Laura and Rutherford Seydel.

How: UCR is at work in the field, at the statehouse, in the courts, and in the community to protect the Chattahoochee River and our water supply. Since 1994 we have stopped hundreds of illegal discharges into the Chattahoochee and its tributaries and insisted that local governments and industries comply with clean water laws. UCR forced the city of Atlanta to stop its chronic dumping of untreated sewage into neighborhood streams and the river. We brought government, business and community attention and action to the serious pollution problems caused by soil erosion from construction sites. In our current water crisis, UCR is working to ensure there will be enough clean water for future generations through many programs, including the following:

• Patrolling our watershed’s rivers and lakes, responding to citizen hotline calls, and monitoring water quality.
• Working to reduce the muddy runoff from construction sites-- the single greatest source of water pollution in the metro region.
• Advocating for water efficiency measures and protection of our water supply at all levels of government.
• Meeting with and educating community members and business people.
• Bringing thousands of children each year on board our floating classroom on Lake Lanier to learn about water quality, lake ecology, and river stewardship.
• Bringing people back to river through recreational activities, promoting responsible and joyful appreciation of north Georgia’s greatest natural resource—the Chattahoochee River.
• Pursuing legal action when necessary to ensure that the laws that protect our drinking water supply are properly enforced.

Why: The river is here for us all. We need it for our drinking water. We need it for continued prosperity. We need it for the life-enhancing recreation it provides. And most importantly, we need it for our children. Protecting and restoring the natural beauty and health of the Chattahoochee River watershed – one of the most threatened in the nation – is critical to securing a positive future for millions of Georgians.