The Citizen your username your email Password recovery Harold Brown Ever since it was a small town, Atlanta has worried about its water. In a 1951 U.S. Geological Survey publication, the author wrote about the establishment in 1893 of a small plant to filter the water of the Chattahoochee River for “the growing city” of Atlanta. Some residents objected to having to drink the “muddy river water.” By the 1950s, the “muddy river water” had been cleared, with suspended sediment decreasing by 80% compared to the 1930s. Fears of the muddy river water faded, and Atlanta has regularly arranged for its ever-growing water needs.