Paddling the Chattooga

By JIMMY ESPY
The Summerville News

The Chattooga River is a vital resource for servicing Chattooga County water needs, but it remains untapped as a recreational resource, according to Joe Cook, executive director of the Coosa River Basin Initiative.
The CRBI is a non-profit group based in Rome which monitors the area water sources and advocates policies the group believes will benefit the region.
The CRBI has a little fun as well.
The group is sponsoring a six-mile paddle trip on the Chattooga, putting in canoes and kayaks near Mount Vernon Mills in Trion and floating south to private property near Summerville where the boaters will be able to exit the river and take advantage of a shuttle service back to their vehicles.
The expedition is planned for Saturday, June 4. CRBI members pay nothing to go on the group trip. The cost to non-members is a membership in the CRBI, $35 for families and $15 for seniors and students. Once someone becomes a member they can join in other trips in the region at no cost.
To register for the June 4 trip or for more information, contact Alan Crawford at 706-237-7268 or e-mail at ibwheelin2@yahoo.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . You can also call the office of the CRBI at 706-232-2724.
The CRBI can provide kayaks and canoes for the June 4 excursion. Canoes capable of holding two adults and a child are available for $35; kayaks which hold one person are $30. To reserve one of these rentals it’s important to register with Crawford.
Crawford, who works as a volunteer for the CRBI, has been kayaking for approximately five years and has been on the Chattooga before.
“It’s a beautiful river and I would recommend it to any family getting started,” Crawford said. Safety is stressed on the trips.
Cook believes the Chattooga’s reputation as a dirty, polluted river has hurt its development as a recreational resource.
“That may have how it was at one time but over the years a lot of progress has been made in cleaning up the river,” Cook said. “Now the Chattooga is quite a beautiful river with a lot of critters living in or near it.”
Cook paddled a section of the river recently and talked about the abundance of small animals that might be seen from the water.
He listed beaver, muskrats, squirrels, blue heron, turtles, a variety of fish and possible even otter.
“We saw a deer swimming across the river when we were up there,” he added.
“The Chattooga is a very small, intimate river,” he said. “It has slow moving water, no rapids and you’re never far from the banks.”
Cook said the stretch of river the group will paddle is relatively clear of debris, despite recent storms.
“There was one place that had some trees in the water but some of our volunteers from up there were going to try and work on that to make it easier for the group to get around.”