Go with the flow...
We strive to protect and improve the health and quality of urban waters, including Proctor Creek and the Chattahoochee River, through enhanced access, amenities, and application of best management practices.
Proctor Creek
From its headwaters just west of Downtown Atlanta to its confluence with the Chattahoochee River, the Proctor Creek watershed is the only watershed contained entirely within the City of Atlanta. Although this creek was once used for swimming, fishing, and as a community gathering place, decades of pollution and neglect have taken a toll on the formerly pristine waterway. While much of Proctor Creek is hidden away, and often overlooked or forgotten, this corridor is home to diverse aquatic and terrestrial species.
In response to community outcry and environmental concerns over the ecological health of the waterway, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) declared Proctor Creek as a priority urban water in 2013. Groundwork Atlanta is working in collaboration with many local, state, and federal stakeholders and organizations, including the Proctor Creek Stewardship Council, West Atlanta Watershed Alliance, Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, Georgia STAND-UP, the City of Atlanta, the EPA, the Georgia Aquarium, and others to improve water quality, address erosion, and increase access to the creek. Many thanks to Coca-cola for donating $350,000 through the National Recreation and Park Association to support trash traps for litter removal from the Proctor Creek watershed.
U.S. EPA Administrator Wheeler Visited the Bandalong Trash Trap on Proctor Creek during his Visit to Atlanta in May 2020
Collected Trash is Sorted and tracked through the Escaped Trash Assessment Protocol (ETAP) of the U.S. EPA
Chattahoochee River
Although the Chattahoochee River makes up the largest part of the Apalachicola–Chattahoochee–Flint River Basin, the headwaters from which metropolitan Atlanta draws a majority of its water supply is the smallest watershed to serve as a primary water source for a metropolitan area in the country. In addition to providing water for drinking and household use, this river is critical to many natural habitats and serves a variety of recreational, agricultural, and industrial users throughout its 434 miles.
Groundwork Atlanta works as part of the Chattahoochee Coalition and collaborates with many community partners, including Riverwalk Atlanta, Chattahoochee NOW, Trust for Public Land, the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, Friends of Riverside Park, and more, to protect this resource through conservation and stormwater best management practices, while allowing for strategic access and sustainable green infrastructure and low-impact development throughout the river corridor and surrounding areas.
In 2018 the Trust for Public Land, City of Atlanta, Cobb County, and the Atlanta Regional Commission began a master planning process for a 100-mile greenway along the Chattahoochee River from Buford Dam to Chattahoochee Bend State Park. As active participants in the Chattahoochee Working Group and Sub-Area 2 Committee, Groundwork Atlanta team members are enthusiastic about working with the study team and local leaders to implement this visionary plan, which was approved by the Atlanta Regional Commission in August 2020! Learn more about the study at Chattahoochee Riverlands.
To improve access, Groundwork Atlanta staff, Board members, and volunteers come together for community service days along the banks of the Chattahoochee River, where we focus on invasive plant species management and trailblazing. Join us from 9am-12pm on the first Saturday of each month at 2386 Paul Ave NW, Atlanta, GA 30318. See our calendar for opportunities to help out!
A vision for Bringing Atlanta to the Chattahoochee River via the Proctor Creek Greenway as Illustrated in the Chattahoochee Riverlands Master Plan
In the news:
Proctor Creek Turns to Green Innovation - Aaron Wiener and Michele White, Parks and Recreation, October 29, 2020
EPA Administrator Wheeler Continues Atlanta Trip at Proctor Creek Trash Trap - U.S. EPA, May 28, 2020
Can Litter Traps Reduce Trash in Proctor Creek? - Nedra Rhone, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, September 25, 2019
NRPA and Coca-cola Partner to Install Trash Traps to Clean Atlanta Waterways - Marlecor Agravante, Inhabitat, September 24, 2019
Coca-cola Installs First ‘Litter Gitter’, ‘Bandalong’ System in Southwest Atlanta - Eric Mandel, Atlanta Business Chronicle, September 19, 2019
Two Pending Projects Threaten Dream of Riverwalk Atlanta Park - Maria Saporta, Saporta Report, March 28, 2016
West of Buckhead, 'Riverwalk Atlanta' has Great Potential - Josh Green, Curbed Atlanta, July 15, 2014