Published Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Chattahoochee River expected to crest two feet above all-time high

The Newnan Times-Herald

The Chattahoochee River roared past its flood stage of 15 feet at Whitesburg Sunday and by Monday afternoon was headed for an all-time record, set to surpass the old high flood stage of 29.11 feet by more than two full feet before the river crests at a predicted 31.5 feet Tuesday afternoon.

The current all-time flood record of 29.11 feet at the Whitesburg measuring station was set in December 1919.

The river was at 28.26 feet by 2:45 p.m. Monday as residents of low-lying areas along the river in western Coweta were evacuating.

Upstream, portions of Carroll, Douglas, Cobb and Paulding counties have recorded more than 15 inches of rain from 8 p.m. Friday to 12:40 p.m. Monday, according to a precipitation map posted at the National Weather Service - Peachtree City Web site.

National Weather Service officials were projecting Monday that the river will not fall below flood stage at Whitesburg until Thursday afternoon, when it is projected to drop below the 15 ft. level for the first time in four days.

Although any flooding event is unpredictable and residents are warned to always be ready to evacuate in the event of flooding, the National Weather Service has a set of guidelines indicating the expected effects of Chattahoochee River flooding near the Whitesburg measuring station:

* At 17 feet minor flooding continues and Payton Road Bridge near Cliff Payton Circle floods.

* At 18 feet, farm and pasture land begins to flood and some evacuation of livestock in the river's flood plain is required. A sod farm upstream also experiences flooding.

* At 19 feet, minor flooding occurs to some unimproved dirt roads, and at 21 feet some access roads are flooded. More farm and pasture land is flooded out.

* Things get more serious at the 26 feet flood stage, when major flooding begins. Small coffer dams at Georgia Power Plant Wansley 12 miles downstream begin to be overtopped by floodwaters.

* At 28 feet, river intake buildings flood at Georgia Power Plant Yates.

* If the river reaches a record high of 30 feet it is estimated the pumping station at Georgia Power's Plant Wansley -- 12 miles downstream -- floods.

* At 38 feet the new Highway 16, Highway 27 Alternate bridge would be flooded out.

Top 10 Historical Crests for Chattahoochee Whitesburg

(1) 29.11 ft on Dec. 11, 1919

(2) 27.50 ft on Feb. 25, 1961

(3) 25.90 ft on March 18, 1990

(4) 25.10 ft on Jan. 10, 1946

(5) 25.00 ft on Nov. 29, 1948

(6) 24.53 ft on July 12, 2005

(7) 23.90 ft on March 16, 1976

(8) 23.81 ft on March 9, 1998

(9) 23.79 ft on April 14, 1979

(10) 22.06 ft on June 18, 2003

--Source: National Weather Service in Peachtree City