Thousands of Fish Found Dead Along Chattahoochee River Stretch West of Atlanta
Thousands of dead fish were found along a 20-mile stretch of the Chattahoochee River west of Atlanta. Officials are investigating possible causes including sewage overflow and drought conditions.
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A major fish kill is under investigation along the Chattahoochee River after thousands of dead fish were discovered floating downstream from Peachtree Creek toward West Point Lake.
According to reporting by WABE, Chattahoochee Riverkeeper officials said the affected area stretches more than 20 miles along the river system west and southwest of Atlanta.
Riverkeeper executive director Jason Ulseth said he first noticed the problem early Friday morning during a routine patrol near the confluence of Peachtree Creek and the Chattahoochee River.
What began as a few floating fish quickly appeared to be a much larger environmental event.
Ulseth told WABE he observed “thousands” of dead fish along the banks and in the water over a wide portion of the river corridor.
State and local agencies are now investigating the cause. The Georgia Environmental Protection Division said it is working with the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division and the City of Atlanta to assess conditions in the affected area.
Investigators have not confirmed a cause, though Ulseth suggested heavy sewage overflows following recent storms may have contributed to oxygen depletion in the river.
He explained that sewage spills often harm fish indirectly, as bacteria consume organic material and strip oxygen from the water, leaving fish unable to survive. Extremely low river levels following drought conditions may have worsened the situation by reducing dilution capacity in the river system.
Ulseth said smaller localized fish kills occasionally happen after sewage spills or other pollution events, but described this incident as unprecedented in his two decades working on the Chattahoochee.
Importantly for Memorial Day weekend recreation, officials said the upper river corridor from Buford Dam through the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area does not appear to be affected.
The river investigation also comes during a difficult week for water infrastructure concerns across metro Atlanta.
On Friday, parts of Atlanta remained under a boil water advisory following an internal power failure at the Hemphill Water Treatment Plant, according to Rough Draft Atlanta. The advisory affected several neighborhoods including Downtown, Grant Park, East Atlanta and Inman Park.
City officials said the advisory was precautionary while water quality testing continued.
While the boil water advisory and the Chattahoochee fish kill are separate incidents, both events have renewed attention on aging infrastructure, stormwater pressure and water-system resilience across the Atlanta region.
Photo: By Mike Gonzalez (TheCoffee) – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0
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