Support our work to protect the freedom to float on any Georgia river or stream that is capable of floating a boat. Take action by contacting your legislator, map where you paddle using a mapping tool by American Whitewater, and read quick facts on what we can do to keep Georgia’s rivers open to the public and ensure the right of passage on even the smallest floatable streams.

Freedom to Float Updates

2026 Legislative Updates

 Feb. 18, 2026 Update:

On Feb. 18, SB 511 was heard in the Senate Transportation Committee. After more than an hour of debate, Committee Chairman Greg Dolezal asked committee staff to seek a legal opinion from the Senate’s legislative counsel answering the question: Are there streams in Georgia that are privately-owned—known as “non-navigable streams”—where the public has the right to use the streams for recreational boating?

SB 511, introduced by Sen. Shawn Still (R-Suwanee), seeks to affirm what Georgia Rivers says is a longstanding tradition in Georgia—the public’s right to boat down small streams and rivers capable of supporting passage in recreational boats like canoes and kayaks.

Debate in the hearing centered on whether the state’s common law history supported the policy that the public has a right to float down streams where riparian landowners possess the streambed (as affirmed in SB 511). You can read a full recap of the hearing here. 

A Georgia Supreme Court decision from 1849 (Young v. Harrison) clearly states that there are two kinds of “private” streams in Georgia: ones that are wholly private and ones that are private but are capable of supporting passage in boats. Upon the later stream, the court ruled that the public has a right to pass down those streams in boats. This ruling has since been upheld in the modern era. 

SB 511 did not receive a vote during the committee hearing, and it is not expected to advance in this year’s legislative session. However, the debate provided an opportunity for dialogue on this issue. A pathway for balancing the competing interests of property owners, outfitters and recreational boaters is needed. Otherwise we run the risk of streams being closed to the public–an outcome that would adversely impact the state’s tourism and outdoor recreation economies. 

Feb. 13, 2026 Update:

On Feb. 13, Sen. Shawn Still introduced SB 511, the Georgia River Heritage Act. The bill states that Georgia citizens have an “inherent right to use non-navigable streams solely for the purpose of passage.”

If adopted it would protect river tourism, small outfitter businesses and fishing guides operating on small streams like South Chickamauga Creek in Catoosa County, the Chattahoochee River in White and Habersham counties, Big Cedar Creek in Floyd County, Ebenezer Creek in Effingham County and the Cartecay River in Gilmer County, among many others.

Co-signing the bill were Sen. Chuck Hufstetler (Rome), Sen. Kim Jackson (Pine Lake), Sen. Nan Orrock (Atlanta) and Sen. Sonya Halpern (Atlanta). 

The bill would put Georgia on a level playing field with neighboring states in attracting river tourism. Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee all have policies that permit boaters to pass down streams capable of supporting passage, including small streams that are runnable in canoes and kayaks only during certain portions of the year.

The bill was introduced a day after Boaters Day at the Capitol Feb. 12. Some 30 advocates from across the state attended the events, speaking to more than 50 legislators about the right to boat on Georgia’s non-navigable streams. 

Governor Brian Kemp has issued a proclamation recognizing Feb. 12 as Georgia Boaters Day. CLICK HERE TO READ THE PROCLAMATION. 

2025 Legislative Session Recap

The Freedom to Float Coalition (Georgia Rivers, Georgia Canoeing Association, American Canoe Association, American Whitewater, and Tennessee Valley Canoe Club and other Freedom to Float advocates) continued to advocate for rights of passage on all rivers and streams this session.

Boaters Day at the Capitol was a great success! Paddlers from across the state engaged with their senators and representatives and urged them to protect public passage down all streams capable of floating recreational watercraft and to support Georgia’s record-breaking tourism industry and our outdoor recreation traditions.

To raise public awareness for this issue, Joe Cook wrote how the decision at Ichawaynochaway Creek shaped Georgia’s boating laws. Read the full story: The untold saga of the Ichawaynochaway Creek.

Next Steps: We need YOU to meet with your legislator in the coming months.

Educating legislators out-of-session is key to raising awareness for the need to enshrine right of passage in Georgia.  If you’d be willing to arrange a meeting with your legislator and include representatives from Georgia Rivers, please contact Joe Cook at joe@garivers.org. 

Boaters Day at the Capitol Recap

Boaters from across Georgia gathered at the Capitol to tell legislators to protect their Freedom to Float!

A group of more than 25 paddlers from diverse districts across the state talked with their senators and representatives to urge them to protect public passage down all streams capable of floating recreational watercraft and support Georgia’s record-breaking tourism industry and our outdoor recreation traditions. Rep. David Jenkins and Sen. Shawn Still recognized Boaters Day from the wells of both chambers. 

To develop your own perspective on the best path forward for Georgia’s boating laws, consider the following questions:

1. Is it just and right for a single stream front property owner to have the authority to close a stream to the public? This action denies every other stream front property owner along said stream the ability to use and enjoy that stream, in addition to impacting outfitters that use the stream for business.

2. Is our state policy on river and stream access and passage best serving the interest of Georgia’s tourism industry? Four of five neighboring states have policies that welcome recreational boaters while Georgia’s policies dissuade recreational boaters from visiting.

Next Steps: We need YOU to contact your legislator in the coming months.

If you’d be willing to arrange a meeting with your legislator and include representatives from Georgia Rivers, please contact Joe Cook at joe@garivers.org. Educating legislators out-of-session is key to raising awareness for the need to enshrine right of passage in Georgia law.

Boaters Day at the Capitol – March 18

Update as of February 26

Speak up to protect our right to boat Georgia rivers and streams! Join us for Boaters Day at the Capitol on Tuesday, March 18 from 8 a.m-12 p.m. at the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta.

Late last year, your advocacy scored a victory for public access to Georgia’s streams when a Georgia House of Representatives Study Committee recommended against creating a “list of navigable streams.” Such a list could have led to the closure of many of our favorite boating destinations.

Unfortunately, the study committee also recommended that no action be taken to clarify where Georgians can legally float down streams in canoes, kayaks, paddleboards, rafts, tubes and other small vessels.

To protect Georgia’s robust outdoor recreation and tourism economy, and to protect the freedom we enjoy to venture down streams of all sizes, the Georgia General Assembly needs to affirm our historic right to boat down all streams capable of floating recreational watercraft.

Please join us for Boaters Day to meet with your legislators to educate them on this issue.

The day will begin with a briefing by the Freedom to Float Coalition to help you understand Georgia’s boating laws and then we’ll head to the House and Senate Capitol to meet with your local legislators.

This event is FREE! We need YOU to speak up to protect the Freedom to Float!

Contact your legislators before Boaters Day at the Capitol to educate them on Georgia’s boating laws and the importance of recreational boating to the state’s economy. Use our form and sample letter to email your legislators.

Share our fact sheet to provide background information and top stats on right of passage.

The untold saga of the Ichawaynochaway Creek

Update as of February 13

Read Joe Cook’s chronicle of the battle over public boating rights on Ichawaynochaway Creek – a battle between a local sportsman with a seventh grade education and one the most influential and wealthy entities in the state, the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation of Coca-Cola fame.

The 1997 Georgia Supreme Court decision that came from this conflict colors today’s debates over where we have the right to boat, fish and hunt.

Joe tells the stories of the “Ichaway Coke Party” at which Baker County residents poured Coca-Cola into the creek to protest its closure and the infamous “Goat Float” in which creek advocates floated a raft loaded with a goat and bale of cotton down the creek to prove it’s “navigability.” The protests were all for naught. The courts ruled against the sportsman, a decision that has since empowered landowners across the state to close other streams to the public.

“We’re still living in the dark shadow of the flawed Ichauway decision,” said Rena Ann Peck, Georgia Rivers executive director, “It leaves small businesses and popular tourist destinations at risk of being shut down at the whim of a single property owner. Baker County residents know firsthand the consequences. We don’t want other communities to suffer the same fate.”

Read the full cautionary saga in the Saporta Report here.

Urge the Georgia General Assembly to clarify and provide the courts with additional guidance for where Georgians have the right to boat, fish and hunt on the state’s streams. Take action using our form.

Protecting Right of Passage

Update as of January 27

Georgia Rivers is currently working to get legislation introduced in the Georgia General Assembly that will affirm the state’s long-standing common law tradition of permitting boating passage down all streams capable of floating recreational watercraft.

This effort follows a special House study committee on navigable streams which recommended a “keep the status quo” approach to Georgia’s boating laws. Maintaining the status quo will endanger small outdoor recreation businesses and will lead to more streams being closed to the public. 

The good news is the House study committee also recommended that the legislature NOT create a list of navigable and non-navigable streams, a move that could have greatly limited where the public can legally float down the state’s streams. 

Hear Georgia Rivers executive director Rena Ann Peck and board member Durrell Smith discuss the history of right of passage in Georgia, the debate over navigable streams, and rights for hunting and fishing.

Who can float on Georgia’s small streams? The matter may still be up for debate

Update as of December 31

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently published a summary of the debate over how to balance public access to waterways and private property rights.

At the heart of the issue? What constitutes a “navigable” waterway.

“Georgia’s definition — which still looms over the debate today — is largely based on an 1863 state law that says “navigable” streams are public, but identifies navigable waterways as those capable of transporting a boat loaded with freight for all or part of the year. Access to other waterways, meanwhile, has been dictated by tradition rather than any official determination,” the article says.

“Outdoor recreation proponents have long said the definition was outdated, but the need to clarify access became more urgent last year.”

The House Study Committee on Navigable Streams released its final report, which recommended the legislature abort the mission of delineating navigable and non-navigable streams.

“Many outdoor recreation advocates say allowing private property owners to limit access to waterways that flow through their land will threaten their enjoyment and the state’s recreational boating and fishing industry, which generates an estimated $1.1 billion of economic activity annually, according to the nonprofit Georgia Rivers.”

“It’s unclear what — if anything — the legislature will do on this issue during the upcoming session, which starts in a few weeks.”

Read the full article on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution website or read a PDF.

Final Recommendations from the House Study Committee on Navigable Streams

Update as of December 5

The House Study Committee on Navigable Streams and Related Matters released its final report Dec. 2.

Read the full report here (it is a short, 5-minute read!)

This report compiles research presented during the study committee meetings, including some of our research and your testimonies. Our advocacy work and your voice was recorded and considered!

Here are the Committee’s Final Recommendations:

1. Maintain the definition of navigability set forth in O.C.G.A. §44-8-5(a) and the right of passage for navigable streams as found in O.C.G.A. §52-1-31;

2. Refrain from a statutory delineation of navigable and non-navigable streams;

3. Incentivize and strengthen tools to foster collaboration and partnerships between landowners, nonprofits, and local/state government that increase opportunities for public access and conservation of Georgia’s waterways;

4. Preserve the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Program;

5. Urge the Department of Natural Resources to further publicize and fund new technologies that assist in tracking and resolving disputes on waterways; and

6. Protect Georgia’s fishing, hunting, trapping, and outdoor recreation traditions, as well as those reliant on waterways such as logging and farming, by carefully analyzing the impact of any potential legislation on these sectors.

What does this mean?

The good news is paddlers, clubs, outfitters, and stakeholders voiced their concerns to steer the committee away from an explicit recommendation for a list of navigable streams. Any such list could have put at risk dozens of streams that are regularly used by recreational boaters. This new legislative direction was driven by more than 900 individual emails to legislators, our collective testimony, and a letter signed by more than 60 river outfitters, businesses and organizations.

The bad news is the “keep the status quo” approach recommended by the committee may lead to the public being excluded from popular boating destinations in the future. The committee’s recommendations fail to recognize Georgia’s long-standing common law tradition of permitting boating passage down all streams capable of floating recreational watercraft.

What happens next? 

Our work to protect the freedom to float has just begun. Georgia’s General Assembly convenes January 13, and we expect legislation on this issue to be introduced. Legislators must protect small businesses, Georgia’s outdoor recreation economy, property rights and the public’s right to pass down streams capable of floating recreational watercraft.

AJC Opinion Article: Floating Georgia’s creeks shouldn’t require permission

Update as of November 26

Georgia Rivers executive director Rena Ann Peck shared a new way of thinking about the implications of limiting public river access in a recent opinion piece in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“Allowing a single property owner to prohibit passage down floatable streams not only has the potential to shut down small businesses, but it also prevents other stream front property owners from accessing that recreational resource. It’s akin to allowing homeowners to close sidewalks in front of their homes.“

If legislators adopt a narrow view of where we can float, they would be ignoring boating rights that have been enshrined in Georgia law since statehood and upheld by courts in the modern era.

“If legislators really want Georgia to continue to be the No. 1 state to do business, they need to protect a right that the public has enjoyed on Georgia’s streams for more than two centuries, and they need to support — not endanger — small outdoor recreation businesses across the state.”

Read a PDF of the article here or on the AJC website via button below.

Next Steps: Final House Study Committee on Navigable Streams meeting

Update as of November 19

The final House Study Committee on Navigable Streams and Related Matters meeting was November 13 in Newnan. The committee is expected to make recommendations to the full General Assembly by Dec. 1. 

Watch a recording of the meeting and hear public testimonies here. (jump to 4:13:30 mark)

What’s next?

The Freedom to Float Coalition is preparing a legal brief on the right of passage that has been established since statehood.

Legislators need to hear from you before the legislative session starts in January! Use our form to easily contact your representatives and tell them to protect the state’s economy and Georgians’ quality of life by protecting the freedom to float.  

 More than 60 outdoor recreation businesses and outdoor recreation professionals signed a letter that strongly urges the study committee to protect Georgia’s robust outdoor recreation economy by supporting laws that ensure broad public access to Georgia’s more than 70,000 miles of rivers and streams.

Freedom to Float Coalition Urges Study Committee to Protect Recreational Boating on Small Streams

In an Oct. 18 letter to the House Study Committee on Navigable Streams, Georgia Rivers, Georgia Canoeing Association, Tennessee Valley Canoe Club, American Whitewater and American Canoe Association urged the committee to recognize and reaffirm long-standing state policy that protects boating on small streams. The letter outlines how the “right of passage,” or the right to float boats down even small streams in Georgia, has been in place since statehood and remains in place today. 

House Study Committee on Navigable Streams final meeting in November

The House Study Committee on Navigable Streams and Related Matters will host a final meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 13, at 9 a.m. in Newnan Donald W. Nixon Centre for Performing and Visual Arts in Newnan.

Here is the proposed agenda:

Meeting #3: Utilizing Mechanisms to Increase Public Access to Waterways

• Welcome & Introductions by Host & Local Officials (approx. 30-45 minutes)

• South Georgia Waterways Perspective (45 min.; holdover from cancelled Waycross meeting)

• Chattahoochee Bend State Park: Creation and Future (30 minutes)

• McIntosh Reserve: Public/Private/Nonprofit Collaboration (45 minutes)

• Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Program & Conservation/Land Trusts (45 minutes)

Lunch

• Public Comment (5 minutes per speaker + Q&A)*

• Discussion by Committee Members

 The committee is charged with making recommendations to the full General Assembly about where Georgians should have the right to boat, fish and hunt on the state’s rivers and streams. If the committee adopts a narrow view of this right, we could lose public access to many streams that have been used by recreational boaters for decades.

Paddlers are encouraged to attend the meeting and speak before the committee during the public comment portion of the agenda. Please share why public access on all streams is important to you, and why Georgia should protect existing uses on our rivers and streams. 

Sign up to speak before the committee by emailing Brock Perry at brock.perry@house.ga.gov.

Recordings of the August 15 and Sept. 20 study committee meetings can be found here. 

The Freedom to Float Coalition submitted a letter to the House study committee in October  that addresses topics raised at the September meeting and urges the General Assembly to confirm and clarify the right of passage on Georgia’s floatable streams. Read the letter here. 

The Freedom to Float issue was highlighted in a Georgia Trend cover story in the magazine’s September issue. Read it here. 

The Freedom to Float Coalition

The Freedom to Float Coalition (FTFC), which includes American Whitewater, Georgia Canoeing Association, American Canoe Association, Georgia Rivers and the Tennessee Valley Canoe Club is urging lawmakers to preserve existing recreational river uses and protect the public’s ability to float down even the state’s small streams.

The right to float down small streams in boats has been part of Georgia’s common law since before statehood, and we contend that right continues today.  Critically, the legislature must protect this right of passage to protect Georgia’s record-setting tourism and outdoor recreation industry. 

Testimonies and Information Presented in September

At the Sept. 20 meeting of the Navigable Streams Study Committee, the Freedom to Float Coalition provided testimony and the following information to the committee:

 Economic Impact of Public Access to Georgia’s Streams

Evolution of River-Related Legislation in Georgia 1800-2024

 History of Georgia’s Common Law Related to Right of Passage

Multi-State Analysis of Recreational Boating Laws

American Whitewater Survey of Historical and Current Recreational Stream Use

Georgia Canoeing Association Survey of Historical and Current Recreational Stream Use

Tennessee Valley Canoe Club Survey of Historical and Current Recreational Stream Use

The History of Georgia’s Rivers

Watch our new video!

This video highlights historic uses of Georgia’s rivers, and makes the case for protecting today’s recreational river uses.

Tell us where you paddle!

Please use American Whitewater’s Georgia Recreational Navigation Mapping Project tool to document recreational descents on as many Georgia rivers as possible. Paddlers documenting their descents through this survey will help us document historic use of Georgia’s small streams and will aid in  protecting access to streams for generations to come. 

Add your paddle trips here.

What is Freedom to Float?

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Freedom to Float Archives

Update: House Study Committee on Navigable Streams set to hold first meeting on August 15

The House Study Committee on Navigable Streams

A special House study committee tasked with determining where Georgians have the right to boat, fish and hunt on Georgia’s streams will hold its first meeting Aug. 15 in Atlanta. 

The House Study Committee on Navigable Streams and Related Matters grew out of a legislative effort to name sections of some 64 streams and rivers in Georgia as “navigable” and thus open to the public for boating, fishing and hunting. 

HB 1397, introduced in the most recent legislative session, was highly controversial and criticized by both river user groups and property owners. It never made it out of committee. Instead, legislators created a study committee to investigate the issue further. 

The study committee will examine aspects of navigable streams in this state and the issues surrounding their ownership, private and public rights of use and other related matters and may make recommendations for proposed legislation ahead of the 2025 legislative session. The first meeting is set for Aug. 15 at 9 a.m. in room 606 of the Coverdell Legislative Office Building in Atlanta. 

Update on August 21

Watch the Freedom to Float Live Stream Series

Each episode of the Freedom to Float Live Stream Series shares first person testimonies from local river recreation entrepreneurs and tourism officials to discuss the role river recreation plays in our local economies, and the importance of keeping our rivers open for all to enjoy.

The stories told during the live stream series will be used as part of Georgia Rivers’ Freedom to Float campaign to urge legislators to support the state’s robust outdoor recreation economy by protecting existing river uses and the public’s right to boat down any stream that will float a boat. River recreation boosts tourism and impacts local economies, but more importantly increases our quality of life. The freedom to create memories and explore Georgia’s rivers is priceless!

Episode 1: The Columbus Success Story

Episode 2: River Recreation on the Cartecay

Episode 3: River Recreation on Ebenezer Creek

Episdoe 4: River Recreation in Helen on the Upper Chattahoochee River

Episode 5: River Recreation on Cedar Creek 

Episode 6: River Recreation on South Chickamauga Creek

Episode 7: River Recreation on the Chestatee and Etowah rivers in Dahlonega

Don’t Lose Your Freedom to Float 

May 24, 2024

The 2024 Georgia General Assembly session ended in late March with two pieces of legislation adopted that could impact your freedom to canoe, kayak, paddleboard, tube and use motorized vessels on Georgia’s rivers and streams. 

HB 1172, a bill that attempted to clarify Georgians’ right to boat, fish and hunt on our state’s navigable streams, was signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp following the session. This bill could lead to property owners asserting “ownership” of the beds of “navigable” rivers and streams to prohibit river users from fishing, scouting a rapid or otherwise stopping in front of their property. 

HR 1554 created a special House study committee investigating navigable streams. We expect the study committee to begin public meetings later this year and make recommendations to the full legislature in advance of the 2025 General Assembly session. 

Georgia River Network, Georgia Canoeing Association, American Whitewater and American Canoe Association are working to inform and influence this committee to protect existing river uses even on Georgia’s smallest streams. We believe the public should have the right to float—the right of passage—on any stream capable of supporting recreational vessels. 

Unfortunately, legislators seem prone to rely on an out-dated 1863 law to determine where the public has the right to boat. That law states that to be considered “navigable” a stream must be capable of floating a boat loaded with freight (think steamboats and cotton barges that plied our rivers in 1863). 

If a stream does not meet that “navigability” test, Georgia’s existing laws allow property owners along a stream to restrict passage down that stream. Court decisions in the last 30 years have affirmed that navigability test, resulting in streams like Armuchee Creek in northwest Georgia and Ichawaynochaway Creek in southwest Georgia being closed to the public. 

A bill introduced during the 2024 session, HB 1397, created a list of “navigable streams” upon which citizens would have the right to boat, fish and hunt. The bill named some 60 streams as “presumed navigable.” Unfortunately, the bill did not include dozens of rivers and streams that Georgians currently use on a regular basis for canoeing, kayaking, paddleboarding and other watersports. Not included in this list were rivers like the Upper Chattahoochee, Cartecay and Toccoa as well as creeks like Ebenezer, Big Cedar and South Chickamauga—all of which currently support thriving outfitter businesses. Indeed, about 50 percent of the rivers listed in the guidebook Canoeing and Kayaking Georgia, a leading resource for paddling in Georgia, were not included on the list.

On these “non-navigable” streams, it would take just one property owner to close the stream to the public, potentially shutting down small businesses that depend on these streams. 

HB 1397 did not pass, but it did lead to the creation of the special study committee on navigable streams. The recommendations of this committee could have far-reaching impacts for Georgia’s outdoor recreation community and economy. 

Please take action to protect your freedom to float:

• Email your legislators. Click on the link below to quickly send a message to your state senator and representative. Don’t know who they are? Don’t worry. Our action alert will direct your message to your legislators based on your address. Tell your legislators that they need to support the state’s robust outdoor recreation economy by protecting existing river uses and the public’s right to boat down any stream that will float a boat. Tell them about how you and your family use the state’s rivers and why protecting that use is so important to you.
• Join Georgia River Network’s Paddle-a-thon. Click on the link below to join Georgia River Network’s Paddle-a-thon, a paddling and peer-to-peer fundraising
  competition. By participating in this free event, and submitting an online trip report every time you do a river trip, you help document the rivers and streams that Georgians are using. This information is critical in the effort to protect existing river uses. It costs nothing and you could win one of some $10,000 in prizes.
• Donate to Georgia River Network. We appreciate your continued support!

Did you know?

• Boating and fishing pump some $1.1 billion into Georgia’s economy annually, and more than 70 outfitters operate river recreation businesses on Georgia’s streams. 
• Neighboring states like North Carolina and South Carolina have state laws that protect the public’s right to boat down any stream capable of floating vessels of any size. 

2024 Legislative Session Summary

April 2, 2024

Where Can I Legally Paddle in Georgia? – Two Part Informational Series

Georgia River Network, Georgia Canoeing Association, American Whitewater and American Canoe Association invite you to a two part informational series to learn what the Georgia General Assembly is doing to protect – or not protect – your freedom to float Georgia’s rivers and streams.

Part I: Thank you for joining our Facebook/YouTube Livestream event Monday, March 4, at 7 p.m. to learn the basics of the proposed legislation. Watch a recording below. 

Part II: Join us for a more in-depth discussion with a Q&A on Thursday, March 7, at 7 p.m. on Zoom

Register for the Zoom event here.

Is your favorite Georgia paddling destination at risk of being declared “non-navigable”?

 On February 23, a new bill was filed in the Georgia General Assembly to declare the List of Navigable Streams, HB 1397.

Update on March 4, 2024- HB 1397 did not come to a vote on the House floor and did not “crossover” for further consideration! However, we are preparing for this bill, or language within the bill, to reappear in other legislation during the session. 

HB1397 lists all the streams in Georgia “presumed to be navigable” by the state. If this bill is adopted, our right to boat, fish and hunt on these streams would be guaranteed by state law. However, the public’s right to boat on streams not included on this list remains uncertain.

If your favorite boating, paddling or fishing destination is NOT included on this list of 64 rivers and streams, it could be at risk of being closed to the public.

(For example, portions of the Yellow, South, Upper Chattahoochee and Coosawattee River Water Trails are not included on this list; the Chickamauga Creek Water Trails are also left off the list)

Georgia River Network is analyzing the impacts of the proposed legislation and is working to secure our freedom to float all of Georgia’s streams capable of floating recreational boats.

 List of Navigable Streams as outlined in HB 1397

(1) Alabaha River downstream from confluence of Hurricane Creek and L. Hurricane Creek;
(2) Alapaha River downstream from confluence with Deep Creek upstream of Crystal Lake Road;
(3) Alcovy River downstream of Alcovy Trestle Road;
(4) Altamaha River downstream from confluence of Ocmulgee and Oconee Rivers;
(5) Apalachee River downstream of confluence with Jacks Creek above Highway 441;
(6) Armuchee Creek downstream of US Highway 27;
(7) Big Indian Creek downstream from confluence with Mossy Creek above US Highway 129;
8 Big Satilla Creek downstream from confluence with Colemans Creek above US Highway 84;
(9) Brier Creek downstream from confluence with Reedy Creek above GA Highway 88;
(10) Broad River downstream of confluence of North Fork and Middle Fork Broad River above Bond Bridge Road;
(11) Canoochee River downstream of confluence with 15 Mile Creek above Kennedy Bridge Road;
(12) Chattahoochee River downstream of GA Highway 115;
(13) Chattooga River (NE) downstream of boundary between Georgia and North Carolina;
(14) Chattooga River (NW) downstream of US Highway 27;
(15) Chestatee River downstream of confluence with Tesnatee Creek above Copper Mines Road;
(16) Conasauga River downstream of the boundary between Georgia and Tennessee;
(17) Coosa River downstream of confluence of Oostanaula River and Etowah River;
(18) Coosawattee River downstream of confluence of Cartecay River and Ellijay River;
(19) Etowah River downstream of GA Highway 9;
(20) Flint River downstream of W McIntosh Road;
(21) Hudson River downstream of GA Highway 326;
(22) Kinchafoonee Creek downstream of confluence with Choctahatchee Creek above GA Highway 45;
(23) Line Creek downstream of Line Creek Road;
(24) Little Ocmulgee River downstream of GA Highway 134;
(25) Little Ohoopee River in its entirety;
(27) Little River (Sinclair) downstream of GA Highway 16;
(28) Little River (Withlacoochee) downstream of Kinard Bridge Landing;
(30) Little River (Clarks Hill) downstream of Lumburg Road;
(31) Little Satilla River downstream of confluence of Big Satilla Creek and Little Satilla Creek;
(32) Little Tallapoosa River downstream of Bowdon Tyus Road;
(33) Middle Fork Suwannee River downstream of confluence with Bird Wing Run;
(34) Middle Oconee River downstream of Etheridge Road;
(35) Muckalee Creek downstream of confluence with Fox Creek above GA Highway 195;
(36) North Oconee River downstream of Newton Bridge Road;
(37) Nottely River upstream of Nottely Lake to boundary between Georgia and North Carolina;
(38) Ochlockonee River downstream of GA Highway 188;
(39) Ocmulgee River downstream of Lake Jackson to the Altamaha River;
(40) Oconee River downstream from confluence of North and Middle Oconee River to the Altamaha River;
(41) Ogeechee River downstream of confluence with Little Ogeechee River above Mitchell Road;
(42) Ohoopee River downstream of GA Highway 56;
(43) Okapilco Creek downstream of US Highway 84;
(44) Oostanaula River downstream of confluence of Conasauga River and Coosawattee River;
(45) Pataula Creek downstream of confluence with Hodchodkee Creek above US Highway 82;
(46) Saint Marys River downstream of confluence with North Prong and South Prong Saint Marys River;
(47) Salacoa Creek downstream of confluence with Pine Log Creek above Lovebridge Road;
(48) Satilla River downstream of GA Highway 64;
(49) Savannah River in its entirety;
(50) South River downstream of GA Highway 138;
(51) Spring Creek downstream of confluence with Long Branch above US Highway 27;
(52) Suwannee River in its entirety;
(53) Sweetwater Creek downstream of confluence with Olley Creek above Perkinson Mill Road;
(54) Tallapoosa River downstream of the boundary between Harrison County and Paulding County;
(55) Tallulah River downstream of Seed Lake to confluence with Chattooga River;
(56) Tobesofkee Creek downstream of confluence with Rocky Creek above Bond Swamp National Wildlife Refuge boundary;
(57) Toccoa River downstream of confluence with Cooper Creek;
(58) Towaliga River downstream of confluence with Little Towaliga River above GA Highway 42;
(59) Tugaloo River downstream of Tugaloo Lake;
(60) Turkey Creek downstream of GA Highway 19;
(61) Upatoi Creek downstream of confluence with Randall Creek above Red Arrow Road;
(62) Warrior Creek downstream of Ellenton Omega Road;
(63) Withlacoochee River downstream of GA Highway 37; and
(64) Yellow River downstream of GA Highway 124.