SOUTH RIVER WATERSHED ALLIANCE
South River Water Trail
South River Check-in
South RIver in the City
Executive Director / Creative Director
Creating recreational access, opportunity, and community participation that turns recreation into measurable evidence for environmental justice and long-term river restoration.
THE BIG IDEA
Increase river recreation and turn participation into evidence for increased state-level protection and restoration.
BACKGROUND / INSIGHT
The South River is an urban-origin river that begins near the Atlanta Airport and flows through majority BIPOC communities that have long experienced environmental neglect and pollution.
For over a century, industrial and sewage pollution was enabled and left unchecked by authorities. As a result, communities along the river developed a “culture of avoidance”, exacerbating the cycle.
In the last 20 years, water quality improved dramatically, but public use of the river remained unmeasured — leaving the river and surrounding communities underrepresented in policy decisions affecting their environment.
LONG-TERM INITIATIVE
South River Water Trail
SRWA partners with municipalities, outfitters, and nonprofits across the watershed in the ongoing development of the South River Water Trail (SRWT) – a system of safe, public access points that connect people to river recreation.
The SRWT now spans 40 navigable miles of the South River and is featured in Canoeing & Kayaking Georgia, the state’s #1 paddling guidebook, and the Georgia River Network’s Georgia River Guide App, available on Apple Store and Google Play.
SOUTH RIVER WATER TRAIL
RECREATIONAL ADVOCACY CAMPAIGN
South River Check-in
In 2020, we created a check-in system to measure recreational use. Anyone visiting, hiking, biking, or paddling the river across the river’s 60-mile length could easily participate in recreational advocacy by visiting SRWA’s check-in page.
Over the course of two GA EPD triennial reviews, from 2020 to 2025, South River Check-in demonstrated a steady increase in public use of the river.
Check-in data was used to:
Demonstrate how the river is actually being used.
Strengthen the triennial application to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (GA EPD) for an upgrade of the river’s designated use from “Fishing” (default standard) to “Recreation”.
Connect people to their waterway.
Empower people through collective advocacy.
RESULTS
Historic Milestones for the River
In 2025, 40 navigable miles (two thirds of the river) were upgraded by GA EPD from Fishing (default standard) to Recreation — establishing higher water quality standards with no backsliding, and increased state-level regulatory enforcement. With more attention from the state, awareness and use of the river has continued to grow, creating the momentum needed for continual restoration into the river’s headwaters.
TIMELINE
2020: South River Check-in campaign launches.
2022: 13-miles of the river are upgraded to Recreation by GA EPD.
2025: The entire 40-mile navigable South River Water Trail is upgraded to Recreation by GA EPD.
Q3 2025: SRWA initiates planning for the expansion of the South River Water Trail 20 miles upstream into the river’s urban headwaters.
Today, South River Check-in continues to work in tandem with development of the South River Water Trail, SRWA’s highly-accessible paddling program which has introduced countless people to the river, and the South River Water Quality Monitoring Program in partnership with Georgia State University.
image c/o Flux Projects, Atlanta to the Atlantic: an art project connecting communities to the river, by Rachel Parish and Sarah Cameron Sunde
Arthur Langford Jr. Park, 2025 - SRWA, American Rivers, and the Atlanta Regional Commission explore opportunities in the river’s urban greenspaces.
INITIATIVE EXPANSION (IN PROGRESS)
South River in the City
South River in the City is an initiative focused on increasing awareness and advocacy for the South River’s most vulnerable urban headwaters.
Planning the expansion of the South River Water Trail for passive recreation upstream, into the river’s first 20 miles, is South River in the City’s pilot project. Efforts began in 2025 with the release of a community development plan in partnership with American Rivers and the Atlanta Regional Commission.
Expanding the South River Water Trail will maintain a strategic focus on recreational advocacy by activating urban parks in the headwaters for passive recreation, community empowerment, and education – in partnership with community advocates, nonprofits, and municipal leadership.