Flat Creek is located in Fayette County Georgia, and it is a tributary to the upper Flint River located in the Atlanta suburbs near Peachtree City. Reservoir operations on Flat Creek historically restricted river flows during critical dry periods of the year—especially during drought periods when flows in Flat Creek were often entirely or severely depleted. American Rivers is working with project partners on Flat Creek to identify changes to reservoir management that could be codified and used to significantly enhance Environmental Flows during critical low flow periods and provide ecological benefits in Flat Creek.

Project Results

The project is slated to a) increase instream habitat during low water periods of the year; b) restore natural hydrologic processes; c) improve supply of water to wetlands; d) improve water quality; and e) benefit populations of native species of interest such as the following mussel species: shinyrayed pocketbook, Gulf moccasinshell, oval pigtoe and purple bankclimber. The final project is expected to ensure that future dam release operations will continue to meet community needs while sustaining healthy streamflow conditions, stream and floodplain habitat and species of concern during critical low flow periods.