Middle Chattahoochee-Lake Harding
Watershed Hydrology
The Middle Chattahoochee-Lake Harding watershed covers an area of approximately 2,612 square miles and includes parts of Alabama and Georgia. The watershed is home to Lake Harding, a 5,850-acre reservoir that was created by the Bartlett's Ferry Dam on the Chattahoochee River. Hydrologically, the watershed is characterized by a mix of forested uplands, wetlands, and agricultural land use. The area receives an average annual precipitation of around 50 inches, with most of it falling as rain. Snowpack is uncommon in this region. The surface water in the watershed is relatively clean and supports a diversity of aquatic life. Lake Harding is a popular recreational destination for fishing, boating, and swimming. There are no significant climatic trends in the watershed, but it has experienced severe droughts in the past. The reservoir's constituents are primarily inflows from the Chattahoochee River and smaller tributaries.