WE SPEAK FOR THE CREEK The South Chickamauga Creek Greenway Alliance is made up of citizens interested in advocating for the protection, preservation, conservation and improvement of the watershed. Meetings are held monthly on the fourth Wednesday at 12noon at Wally's Restaurant in East Ridge. Call to confirm date and location. For more information, call the Trust For Public Land at (423) 265-5229, or email sandykurtz4@gmail.com Our accomplishments include: Making our creek part of the City Greenway Master Plan. Applying pressure to assure government monies were allocated for construction of a pedestrian walkway under Brainerd Road and a bridge across W. Chick. Creek to Camp Jordan (now complete). Helping pave the way for obtaining conservation easements in the Brainerd Village area and at Lakewood Memory Gardens. Established a group made up of industrial partners to study the possibility for a greenway near the Tennessee River. Obtained grants from the Conservation Fund and the TN Bicentennial Greenway Design Program. Participated in TVA's biotic inventories survey.

About the South Chickamauga Creek The South Chickamauga Creek Watershed has its origins in Georgia eventually emptying into Nickajack Lake portion of the Tennessee River in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It drains nearly 250,000 acres of land via an estimated 463 miles of streams including waters from West Chickamauga, Peavine, Tiger, Little Chickamauga and East Chickamauga Creeks. This large watershed makes up about 36% of all the drainage area into Nickajack Lake. The watershed passes through ridge and valley topography with springs, caves, and wetlands as it flows through pastureland and forests in Georgia. South Chickamauga Creek gathers all its waters near East Ridge, Tennessee and then flows through typical bottomland woods, passing the airport and Brainerd Levee as well as urban, residential, and industrial areas. Special Features Wildlife is easily seen if one were to walk or canoe along the creek. The federally protected snail darter exists in South Chickamauga Creek and the Brainerd Levee area plays host as a significant flyway for migrating waterfowl and shorebirds. There are 19 listings on the National Register of Historic Places in the watershed including the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, Ringgold Depot, McLemore Cove Historic District, John Ross House, Gordon Lee House, Audubon Acres Archaeological Site, Ryall Springs, and Brainerd Mission Cemetery. Old Muskogean and Cherokee town sites line the creek. Threats The water quality of the watershed is suffering for a number of reasons but poor animal waste and other agricultural practices along with poor new construction practices are the primary reasons for degraded water quality including a spike of increased sedimentation. The sedimentation comes from construction especially in the East Brainerd area along with the encroachment of new subdivisions on rural land in Georgia. Some residents in the Georgia section of the watershed have reported significant septic problems indicating poor soils for dense populations without sewer service. South Chickamauga Creek waters enter the Tennessee River less than one mile upstream from the water intake for the Tennessee American Water Company that provides drinking water to 67,000 metered customers. Others in Georgia draw water from individual wells or from Yates Springs in Catoosa County. All of these problems can lead to loss of biodiversity, erosion of landscape, algal growth, invasion of invasive plants, loss of recreational opportunities, increased flooding, health precautions, and loss of the aesthetic and cultural beauty the watershed provides.

South Chickamauga Creek Watershed Plan . pdf 16 May 2009 - Celebrate SCC!