Georgia Right to Float Committee Wraps Up

A legislative committee that spent much of 2024 exploring Georgia’s stream access laws has wrapped up its work with a final report. The report discusses the various perspectives the committee heard during their outreach, and issued a list of recommendations that support keeping stream access laws as they are. River enthusiasts can breathe a sigh of relief that the committee recommended against legislating a list of rivers where the public has–and does not have–the right to paddle. American Whitewater would like to commend our many community members and partners who shared the incredible value of paddling Georgia’s rivers with the committee. 

The right to paddle rivers in Georgia was confusing before the work of the committee and remains so. American Whitewater will continue to work with our partners to bring clarity to the situation, and specifically to ensure the public can continue to paddle all of the boatable rivers in the state. We’ll keep the public posted as this work evolves in the new year. 

For now, we’d like to voice our appreciation for the committee respecting the current rights of the public to enjoy Georgia’s rivers, and for all the river enthusiasts who contacted the legislature about this important matter.