The love of money destroys the beauty and peace of our rivers. It is such a sad commentary to the people of Helen, Robertstown and White County that the almighty dollar means more to them than the health and well-being of the beautiful Chattahoochee River.

The tubers in the rivers around here are not going to get out and walk a half mile or more to a bathroom in wet bathing suits and wet clothes to find a bathroom. Not to even mention the damage to the “designated trout stream” and the trout habitat. There’s no way trout can breed and lay eggs safely that hatch with thousands tromping through the river every day for months.

The EPA is so very adamant about no one doing anything anywhere near the river why do they let this go on. It’s just senseless to me and disturbing to think we may have no more native trout breeding in the river. That river was always pristine before the people of White County turned into morons. I wouldn’t even put my toe in it now it is so polluted.

Everybody talks about an over abundance of silt in Lake Lanier; a lot of it comes for the silt being stirred up in the Chattahoochee and now even the people in Lumpkin County have lost their minds and have tubing in the Chestatee. What is wrong with people? God’s beautiful creations are being ruined!

I won’t even go into Helen anymore it makes me so sick to see it. I have never seen one person tubing in the river in Gatlinburg, Tenn., or any other river around there for that matter. How can you designate a river so abused as a “trout stream? Could it be the people of Tennessee have more sense and take more responsibility than the people of Georgia.

We own property on the Chattahoochee and before we can build we have to go through all kinds of permits to get approval. Yet tubing businesses are popping up everywhere and flourishing. I know it’s nice to cool off, but it goes on well into the fall and starts before that water is warm enough to put a foot in. It just is awful to think that one day soon there will be no more trout to catch and enjoy.

Nancy Gravitt
Gainesville

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