The Altamaha is the largest river of the Georgia coast and the second largest basin in the eastern United States. Its headwaters, like those of the Savannah, arise in the foothills of the Appalachians and flow is dominated by silt-laden water from the Piedmont and Upper Coastal Plain, although it does receive a major input from a 'black water' tributary, the Ohoopee. Flow in the Altamaha River averages 400 cubic meters per second, and the drainage area is 37,600 square kilometers. It is a relatively undisturbed analog of the Savannah River, with no major channelization or dredging and no major reservoirs.
Land use and land cover in the Altamaha watershed
