Georgia Water Coalition names Chattahoochee River to 'Dirty Dozen' list

COLUMBUS, GA (WTVM) - The Chattahoochee River is joining a list that reflects poorly on its waters.

The Georgia Water Coalition named the state's worst rivers in their 2014 Georgia's Dirty Dozen list, highlighting the state's worst and problematic waterways.

"The Dirty Dozen shines a spotlight on pending threats to Georgia's water as well as state policies and failures that ultimately harm - or could harm - Georgia property owners, downstream communities, fish and wildlife, hunters and anglers, and boaters and swimmers," the Georgia Water Coalition said on their website.

The group says the Chattahoochee River is being polluted by manufacturers without proper safeguards in place.

"While longstanding pollution from municipal waste water treatment systems is being cleaned up, the river continues to be harmed by storm water run off from hundreds of industrial facilities in metro Atlanta," the group warns.

Other rivers on the list include the Flint, Coosa, Savannah, Turtle and Satilla rivers.

The group publishes the list to also bring awareness to Georgia state leaders, so initiatives can be created to clean the waterways and restore them with local and state tax funds.

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