Groups seek highest protection for Georgia river

Two environmentalist groups are petitioning the federal government to recognize what would be Georgia’s first “Outstanding National Resource Water.” Environment Georgia and the Southern Environmental Law Center are seeking the ONRW designation for the Conasauga River in northwest Georgia. The ONRW designation gives the highest level of protection to rivers in the United States. The groups say the Conasauga’s headwaters support one of the most biodiverse river ecosystems in the nation.