Conasauga River
River in Tennessee and Georgia
title: "Conasauga River" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["rivers-of-georgia-(u.s.-state)", "rivers-of-tennessee", "rivers-of-fannin-county,-georgia", "rivers-of-gilmer-county,-georgia", "rivers-of-murray-county,-georgia", "bodies-of-water-of-polk-county,-tennessee", "rivers-of-whitfield-county,-georgia", "act-river-basin"] description: "River in Tennessee and Georgia" topic_path: "general/rivers-of-georgia-u-s-state" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conasauga_River" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary River in Tennessee and Georgia ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox river"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Conasauga River |
| image | Conasauga River, Whitfield County, Georgia.JPG |
| image_caption | View of the Conasauga River |
| map | Coosaheadwatersmap.png |
| source1 | Cohutta Mountains |
| source1_coordinates | |
| source1_elevation | ~ 2400 ft |
| mouth | Oostanaula River |
| mouth_location | Calhoun, GA |
| mouth_coordinates | |
| mouth_elevation | ~ 620 ft |
| length | 93 mi |
| basin_size | 772 sqmi |
| :: |
| name = Conasauga River | image = Conasauga River, Whitfield County, Georgia.JPG | image_caption = View of the Conasauga River | map =Coosaheadwatersmap.png | source1 = Cohutta Mountains | source1_location = | source1_coordinates = | source1_elevation = ~ 2400 ft | mouth = Oostanaula River | mouth_location = Calhoun, GA | mouth_coordinates = | mouth_elevation = ~ 620 ft | length = 93 mi | discharge1_avg = | basin_size = 772 sqmi
Location
The Conasauga River is the most westerly trout water on public land in Georgia. It is the only river in Tennessee that is not a part of the Mississippi River watershed.
The only road access to the Conasauga is found via Old GA 2, GA 2, and Carlton Petty Road. Access via foot trail is located on Forest Service road (FS) 64 in Betty Gap. Three other trails descend from the west off FS 17 to intersect the river trail. From south to north they are the Chestnut Lead, 2.0 mi, Tearbritches Trail, 4.0 mi, and Hickory Creek Trail, 3.0 mi. Primitive camping is allowed all along the river.
Natural information
At the core of the Conasauga watershed is the 35268 acre Cohutta Wilderness, located in Fannin, Gilmer, and Murray counties in Georgia and Polk County in Tennessee. The United States Forest Service manages the area as part of the Chattahoochee National Forest and Cherokee National Forest. The preserve covers over 95000 acre and contains approximately 15 mi of the Conasauga.
The Conasauga River is home to more than 90 fish species, including 10 federally listed species of fish and mussels. Among these is the endemic, endangered Conasauga logperch (Percina jenkinsi). Historically there were 42 species of freshwater mussels, however only 25 species still exist. It is estimated that only 1% of original population remains. The waters yield established populations of rainbow trout and brown trout, with rainbows up to 20 in and browns to 9 lb. The managed land is populated by white-tailed deer, wild hogs, black bears, and smaller animals.
Environmental problems
The Conasauga River is a Category 1 priority watershed in Georgia's Unified Watershed Assessment and 18 mi of the river and 54 mi of the tributaries have been on Georgia's List of Impaired Waters for fecal, metal, toxic chemical, sediment, and nutrients.
Up to one-third of the summer flow taken in the vicinity of Dalton, Georgia is used for carpet production. The river has been contaminated with perfluorinated compounds used to make carpets stain-resistant.
Name
"Conasauga" is a name derived from the Cherokee language meaning "grass". According to the Geographic Names Information System, Conasauga River has also been known historically as:
- Connasauga River
- Connesauga River
- Conne-san-ga River
- Slave River
- Jacks River now is the name of a tributary of the Conasauga.
Tributaries
References
tags--
References
- U.S. Geological Survey. Dyer Gap quadrangle, GA. 1:24,000. 7.5 Minute Series. Washington D.C.: USGS, 1988.
- U.S. Geological Survey. Calhoun North quadrangle, GA. 1:24,000. 7.5 Minute Series. Washington D.C.: USGS, 1982.
- U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. [http://viewer.nationalmap.gov/viewer/ The National Map] {{Webarchive. link. (2016-06-30 , accessed April 27, 2011)
- "Conasauga River Watershed Ecosystem Restoration Project". USDA Forest Service.
- (2011) [http://www.gorp.com/weekend-guide/travel-ta-paddling-georgia-sidwcmdev_056245.html The Conasauga River] {{Webarchive. link. (2010-05-16 Gorp.com, Great Outdoor Recreation Pages.)
- "Conasauga River Aquatic Species". U.S. Department of Agriculture.
- "Conasauga logperch". U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
- (December 2009). "Conasauga River Watershed Planning". Georgia Ecological Services, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
- Fuchs, Erin and Pam Sohn: [http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/10/epa-finds-high-levels-stain-resistance-ingredient "Study finds high levels of stain-resistance ingredient in Conasauga River"] {{webarchive. link. (2008-10-06 ''Chattanooga Times Free Press''. (February 10, 2008). Accessed October 26, 2008.)
- (n.d.). "The Chemical in The Conasauga". Georgia Public Broadcasting.
- (October 2008). "Concentrations and patterns of perfluoroalkyl acids in Georgia, USA surface waters near and distant to a major use source". Environ. Toxicol. Chem..
- Bright, William. (2004). "Native American Placenames of the United States". University of Oklahoma Press.
- Krakow, Kenneth K.. (1975). "Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins". Winship Press.
- {{Gnis. 327507
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