Thousands of fish found dead in 20-mile stretch of Chattahoochee River after heavy rainstorm

Added: 2026-05-26

[00:00:02]Right. So, earlier in the week, as we've been talking about that big heavy rainfall that we got, the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, who keeps tabs on the health of the river, says that was the catalyst that caused this major major fish kill. And we learned that drought, trash, and untreated water also contributed to all this. The Chattahoochee River isn't just a pleasant sight. It's a delicate need in metro Atlanta. The Chattahoochee is the smallest river that provides a water supply to major metropolitan city in the entire country. The Riverkeeper, Jason Ulseth, and the city of Atlanta are concerned after thousands of fish suddenly turned up dead. We know that it's associated with the 3-in rain event that came in less than an hour on Wednesday evening, and it's associated with the city of Atlanta's combined sewer system. Ulseth says that large amount of rain in a short amount of time did some damage, funneling trash and debris into the river. It's like a one-two punch of dissolved oxygen um crashing in the Chattahoochee River, which caused all of the fish to essentially suffocate. This is catastrophic for the river's ecosystem.

[00:01:08]I don't know that any fish survived in this 20-mi stretch. The Georgia Environmental Protection Division and the city of Atlanta are all investigating. Ulseth is particularly concerned about a sludge material in this affected area. The pathogen levels are actually very low, but this black material in the river is very smelly, and it's coating the banks of the rivers for for tens of miles. As the city monitors conditions, the Riverkeeper says avoid the stretch between Peachtree Creek to West Point Lake. If we want a successful region going into the future, it cannot happen without a clean and plentiful Chattahoochee River.

[00:01:50]And officials tell me that they are collecting samples. They will continue to do that to keep tabs on the health of the river. We're told that the Chattahoochee National Recreational Area, that was not affected. So, it's still okay to go visit that part of the area. This particular part, this 20-mi stretch, is the area that was affected.

[00:02:10]We're live on the Chattahoochee River, Bridget Spencer, Atlanta News