Sally Bethea is the retired executive director of Chattahoochee Riverkeeper and an environmental and sustainability advocate. Her award-winning Above the Waterline column appears monthly in Atlanta Intown.
Today, the Chattahoochee River between the city of Atlanta and West Point Lake — a 70-mile stretch with forested riverbanks, rocky shoals, rural communities, and cultural sites — is no longer regularly polluted with the city’s waste. Once considered off-limits for recreation due to chronic sewage overflows and polluted storm runoff, this previously blighted section is on the cusp of becoming a major destination for outdoor experiences.
