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the Soque River -
Geography/Hydrology
GEOGRAPHY
The Soque River watershed is
located in
Habersham County in northeast Georgia, and flows entirely
within the county boundaries. The Soque is the northeastern most tributary
to the
Chattahoochee River and is considered a headwater stream
that delivers a
significant volume of water to
Lake Lanier, the main drinking water source
for the city of
Atlanta. The Chattahoochee River itself is a water
source for millions of people in Georgia, Alabama and Florida. The
Chattahoochee, beginning with the Soque River, travels the length and
breadth of the state of Georgia, defining part of the border between
Georgia and Alabama and eventually emptying into the
Gulf of Mexico at
Apalachicola, Florida.
The Watershed begins in the
northeast Georgia section of the
Appalachian Mountains and consists of many small streams flowing down
steep terrain in its upper reaches. Much of this area is contained within
the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest. Waterfalls, brook trout and clean water
are common in this uppermost part of the basins headwaters. The highest
point in the drainage occurs at
Tray Mountain at 4,430 feet. Surrounding
peaks include Goshen Mountain (2,830 feet), and Wolfpen Ridge. The tiny
mountain streams flowing down these peaks form the Left and Right forks of
the Soque River within a few hundred feet of Batesville General Store on
Highway 197. The valley through which the two forks flow is known as Goshen
Valley and is one of the most breathtaking mountain valleys in Georgia. |
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FACTS AND FIGURES
Geographical Coverage
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Watershed Size |
83,983 acres,
160 square miles |
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Habersham County Coverage |
278 square miles |
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River Miles |
30 miles |
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Land use
within the Watershed
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Urban/Residential |
12% |
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Forest |
65% |
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Agriculture |
22% |
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Mining/Extraction |
0.1% |
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Range Land |
0.8% |
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Water/Wetlands |
1% |
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- Back To Top - DRINKING WATER SOURCES
The Soque River serves as the water supply for the
City of Clarkesville. Additionally,
Hazel Creek
and Camp Creek, tributaries to the Soque, supply water for the
City of
Cornelia. The cities of
Demorest and
Baldwin obtain drinking water from the Chattahoochee River below the
confluence with the Soque. Municipal water supplies for
Mount Airy and
Alto come from groundwater wells within the watershed. Nearly
every Habersham County resident who drinks water from a public supply
drinks at least some water from the Soque River.
Surface water supply in the
County is withdrawn from the Soque River, Hazel Creek and from the
Chattahoochee River, directly downstream from its confluence with the
Soque River. The Soque River is the northeastern most tributary to the
Chattahoochee River and was identified by the USEPA as the primary
contributor of sediment to Lake Lanier, which provides water to the
greater Atlanta metropolitan area. Within Habersham County, the
Chattahoochee River drainage combined with the Soque River watershed
occupy 80% of the County's landmass. |
WATER DATA
The citizens living in the Soque River
watershed are fortunate to have access to U.S. Geological Service (USGS)
Real-Time Water Data that is specific to the Soque River. The City
of Clarkesville and Habersham County cooperated in the funding of the
operation and maintenance of a real-time streamgage that provides
continuous recordings of water stage levels as a part of the USGS National
Streamflow Information Program. The gage, located on Highway 197
near Clarkesville, began recording data in early 2007. It records
and reports gage height, discharge and precipitation. Output of this data is
available at
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=023312495.
A USGS document explaining and discussing
the uses and importance of these real-time flow gages is available at
http://nhwc.udfcd.org/PDF/USGS/nhwc_nsip_phaseA.
Water Use in Georgia
by County, 2005, is available from the USGS. |
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The Soque River watershed occupies approximately 57% of Habersham County’s
178,677 acres. Approximately 17,524 acres or 17% of the watershed rest
within the Chattahoochee National Forest. This protected area is in the
uppermost headwaters of the Soque. (Acreage data is from the GIS analysis
for watershed assessment, 2002, USDA Forest Service).
The County’s primary growth corridors are concentrated in the lower basin
area of the watershed. Population in Habersham County in 2001 was 37,153
and is projected to surpass 50,000 by the year 2020. This rapid population
explosion will place unique challenges on a community that until recently
has been able to preserve its strong rural character. |
THE SOQUE IS NO ORDINARY RIVER
Why is the Soque River watershed so unique? "Because the Soque
River is the only river of its size in the state of Georgia that
rests entirely within one county. The Soque River begins and ends
in Habersham County affording us the good fortune of possessing
the Soque River in its entirety. The Soque is no ordinary river
because it is ours and ours alone..." Read more about the
unique Soque.
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