Toccoa/Ocoee River

Coordinates: 35°12′22″N 84°39′28″W / 35.2061°N 84.6578°W / 35.2061; -84.6578
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with Oconee River or Toccoa Creek.
Toccoa/Ocoee River
The whitewater rapids of the Upper Ocoee during the 1996 Summer Olympics.
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationConfluence of Canada and Mauldin Creeks in Union County, Georgia
 • elevation~ 2,120 ft (650 m)[1]
Mouth 
 • location
Hiwassee River in Polk County, Tennessee
 • elevation
~ 750 ft (230 m)[2]
The Hiwassee drainage basin, which includes the Ocoee River, located within the upper Tennessee drainage basin

The Toccoa River and Ocoee River are the names in use for a single 93-mile-long (150 km)

better source needed] river that flows northwestward through the southern Appalachian Mountains of the southeastern United States. It is a tributary of the Hiwassee River, which it joins in Polk County, Tennessee, near the town of Benton
. Three power generating dams are operated along it.

The river is called the Toccoa for its 56 miles (90 km) through

Atlanta
, about 100 miles (160 km) to the south.

The name Ocoee originates from the

Cherokee name for Passiflora incarnata, ocoee.[4] Toccoa comes from the Cherokee term for "where the Catawbas lived" [5] or "beautiful".[6]

On February 16, 1990 flooding of the river submerged much of the

bed-and-breakfast and become a local internet entrepreneur.[9]

Dams and power generation

The Ocoee's

Knoxville
.

The three Ocoee dams are numbered sequentially, with #1 being the farthest downstream and #3 being the farthest upstream. TVA acquired the two original dams (

hydraulic, right after it. Upstream (to the southeast), TVA also operates Blue Ridge Dam, which creates Lake Blue Ridge
(called Blue Ridge Reservoir by TVA).

TVA's Ocoee Dam No. 3 on the Ocoee River in Polk County, Tennessee, ca. 1945

Whitewater kayaking and rafting

The

U.S. 64, whose eastbound lanes were originally built for traffic which are now converted to be used as a parking and staging area. A 4.5-mile whitewater rafting area farther downstream is fed by water released from Ocoee Dam #2.[11] The Olympic section was not open to the public until after the Olympics, while the middle section had been open to the public since the late 1970s. After the Olympics, rafting tours (including bus
transportation) are provided by several different companies located in both directions on U.S. 64, which runs next to the river for a few miles (several kilometers). These outfitters provide other activities on and along the river such as biking, hiking, kayaking and lodging. Whitewater rafting is the most popular and is led by trained river guides through a number of rapids.

Rapids on the Middle:

Mile Name Difficulty
0.0 Dam No. 2
0.0 Entrance/Grumpy IV
0.2 Staging Eddy III
0.3 Gonzo Shoals III
0.7 Broken Nose III+
0.8 Second Helping III
1.1 Slice-n-Dice III
1.1 Moonshoot III
1.2 Double Suck III+
1.4 Double Trouble III
1.6 Left Right Left III
1.9 Flipper III
2.8 Surprise III
3.1 Tablesaw IV
3.2 Diamond Splitter III
3.9 Accelerator III
4.1 Cat's Pajamas III
4.2 Hell's Hole IV
4.3 Powerhouse Ledge IV
4.6 Outfitter Takeout
5.4 Private Boater Takeout

Variant names

The river was once known as the Ocowee River and, according to the Geographic Names Information System, the Toccoa/Ocoee River has also been known as:[12]

  • Taccoy River
  • Tacoy River

See also

  • Cherokee
    )
  • Pityopsis ruthii (Pityopsis ruthii is a rare species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name Ruth's golden aster. It is endemic to the US state of Tennessee, where it is known only from Polk County. It is threatened by the modification of its habitat. It is a federally listed endangered species.)
  • Noontootla Creek
  • Shallowford Bridge
  • List of rivers of Tennessee

References

  1. ^ U.S. Geological Survey. Suches quadrangle, Georgia. 1:24,000. 7.5 Minute Series. Washington D.C.: USGS, 1988.
  2. ^ U.S. Geological Survey. Benton quadrangle, Tennessee. 1:24,000. 7.5 Minute Series. Washington D.C.: USGS, 1974.
  3. ^ a b "The National Map". U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved Feb 16, 2011.
  4. ^ "State Symbols". Tennessee State Government. Archived from the original on June 25, 2014. Retrieved Dec 21, 2014.
  5. ^ "Toccoa, Georgia City Information". ePodunk.
  6. ISBN 0-915430-00-2
    . Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  7. ^ "Two Towns Divided Between Two States: Copperhill, TN and McCaysville, Georgia". Archived from the original on 2008-02-23.
  8. ^ Flood May Be Last Straw for Troubled Copper Town LAURAN NEERGAARD, Associated Press Mar. 1, 1990
  9. ^ a b Up From the Mines in Tennessee Erik S. Lesser for The New York Times By CHRIS DIXON December 14, 2007
  10. ^ "OCOEE RIVER COUNCIL v. T. V. A". Leagle, Inc. Retrieved Oct 11, 2013.
  11. ^ Ocoee Whitewater, TVA website
  12. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Toccoa/Ocoee River

External links

35°12′22″N 84°39′28″W / 35.2061°N 84.6578°W / 35.2061; -84.6578

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