Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper

Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper

The Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper (UCR) is an environmental advocacy organization with more than 5,000 members dedicated solely to protecting and restoring the Chattahoochee River Basin, specifically between the Buford Dam and West Point Lake. UCR was modeled after New York’s Hudson Riverkeeper and was the 11th licensed program in the international Waterkeeper Alliance.

UCR’s primary geographic focus begins at the River's headwaters in the north Georgia mountains above Helen and continues downstream to West Point Lake, encompassing more than 200 miles (320 km) of the Chattahoochee River and 3,600 square miles (9,300 km2) of watershed. UCR is best known for their legal action against the City of Atlanta which resulted in the city revitalizing their infrastructure to address a major sewage problem, thus ensuring a cleaner river for the community.

UCR actively uses advocacy, education, research, communication, cooperation, monitoring and legal actions to protect and preserve the Chattahoochee and its watershed. Since its founding, Sally Bethea has served as Executive Director and Riverkeeper for the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper.