Chattahoochee

Just wanted to let the skeptics (like me) know that this hole is actually quite nice and the water is not bad at all (and I'm squeamish at nasty water). It was running right around 1000 cfs when we were there last week and the hole was perfect. We parked just outside the construction entrance on S. Atlanta and walked down adjacent to the construction boundary and paddled upstream. There is a bum camp in the woods by the bridge so I wouldn't recommend leaving anything valuable in your car. All in all this is a great little spot for us Atlantans to get some play after work...

This is a regular spot of mine and I am very familiar with the water quality (and an Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper member). The water quality at the wave is the same as the rest of the river upstream until you get to Morgan Falls...quite nice for an urban river almost never any serious problems. There are, however, serious issues about a half mile downstream where the treatment plants discharge ... but there is nothing to paddle there.

Waterworks/The Wave @ high water

Waterworks/The Wave @ high water

Looking Upstream at Waterworks/The Wave

Looking Upstream at Waterworks/The Wave

You can park at the liquor store past the bridge (if you're coming from 285) and walk back. It's really not that far to walk and your playboat shouldn't weigh that much. I talked to the owner---he seemed fine with the parking lot being used for paddling. He recommended parking in the spots facing the road; he has video surveillance on that section of the parking lot and it will be out of the way of his customers.

I normally just walk straight to the river and seal launch off one of the rocks under the bridge. It makes for more upstream paddling but I would rather be paddling than walking and you miss the mud that way. The water isn't moving fast at levels when this is running anyway.

lemme know if you want to go play sometime chris c rob AT gmail DOT com

is there anywhere to park near here?

Tim M. sidesurfing playboaters hole after catching micro eddy just in front of him on RR.

I visited the wave @ 8400 on the wave gauge. Nothing doing...except some awesome class III ish stuff including a nice 4-5 foot play wave on the adjacent Nancy Creek. There wasn't a great eddy but you could pull yourself up by the trees on the left or hike up river left (maybe river right too) and catch it on the fly.
Nancy creek doesn't have an AW page that I can find but if you're looking for a wave when the wave is gone this may be a good place to look.

I think the approximate level for nancy creek can be figured out by subtracting the level for the metro hooch from the level below the wave.
Using this figure there was 4350 cfs coming through nancy creek (and any other side streams between the Metro hooch gauge and the wave gauge)

Can some one tell me an easier way to get to the wave email me at subsonicsteak3@bellsouth.net

This is the metro Atlanta park and play spot. It is located at the Atlanta Water Works intake, just above both the Fulton and Cobb county sewage treatment plants.
The building in the background is the Atlanta Water Works intake. The tall white structure on the left side of the photo is where your Atlanta drinking water enters the system.