| Toccoa/Ocoee River | |
|---|---|
 The whitewater rapids of the Upper Ocoee during the1996 Summer Olympics. | |
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| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Confluence of Canada and Mauldin Creeks inUnion County, Georgia |
| • elevation | ~ 2,120 ft (650 m)[1] |
| Mouth | |
• location | Hiwassee River inPolk County, Tennessee |
• elevation | ~ 750 ft (230 m)[2] |
TheToccoa River andOcoee River are the names in use for a single 93-mile-long (150 km)[3][better source needed]river that flows northwestward through the southernAppalachian Mountains of thesoutheastern United States. It is atributary of theHiwassee River, which it joins inPolk County, Tennessee, near the town ofBenton. Three power generating dams are operated along it.
The river is called the Toccoa for its 56 miles (90 km) throughGeorgia,[3] until it reaches thetwin cities ofMcCaysville, Georgia andCopperhill, Tennessee, at thetruss bridge which connectsGeorgia 5 (Blue Ridge Street) withTennessee 68 andGeorgia 60 (Ocoee Street and Toccoa Street). The remainder is called the Ocoee throughTennessee. The Ocoee is known for itsClass III-Vwhitewater rapids, appealing tokayakers andrafting enthusiasts. It is also home to the local salamander,Desmognathus ocoee. The upper section of the Ocoee was host towhitewater slalom events during the Centennial1996 Summer Olympics held primarily inAtlanta, about 100 miles (160 km) to the south.
The name Ocoee originates from theCherokee name forPassiflora incarnata, ocoee.[4] Toccoa comes from a Cherokee word meaning "Catawba place"[5][6]: 410–411 or "beautiful".[7]
On February 16, 1990 flooding of the river submerged much of thecentral business district of the riverfront towns ofCopperhill, Tennessee andMcCaysville, Georgia.[8] The area was once heavily mined for copper ore from theCopper Basin and polluted bysmelting operations. Extensive logging and plant-destroying smog depleted topsoil and released polluted acid and metals into the area's streams.[9][failed verification] The area has since been cleaned and greened.[10] Olympic kayakerJoe Jacobi led a successful effort to bring the Atlanta Olympic white-water event to the Ocoee River in 1996, and his wife Lisa, a former CNN news producer, left her job to open a downtownbed-and-breakfast and become a local internet entrepreneur.[10]
The Ocoee'sflow is controlled by theTennessee Valley Authority via threedams. Most often the riverbed is nearly dry in the ten-mile (16 km) stretch used for sporting, the water being diverted throughflumes along the side of the river gorge. The dam was originally built in 1913 by theEast Tennessee Power Company to providehydroelectric power to the newAlcoa company, which was startingaluminum production operations inBlount County, Tennessee, south ofKnoxville.
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 (Ocoee #1 andOcoee #2) in 1939 and started buildingOcoee #3 dam in 1940. These dams generate an average of 67,000kilowatts ofelectricity in total. The Ocoee #2 dam diverts water from the middle section of the river through the flume. After a rock slide in September 1976 that damaged the flume, the TVA began a major overhaul of the flume system. During this time, the river, which had been dry during the early years of recreational whitewater sports, ran without diversion. The Ocoee gained the attention of paddlers and rafting companies who offered rafting trips to the public while the repairs were taking place. When the flume overhaul was finished, the Ocoee River Council was formed in order to secure future recreational releases from the TVA. After an extensive legal battle requiring an act of Congress, recreational releases were conceded by the TVA and the river runs most weekends from March through October.[11] The Middle Section contains some 20 namedClass III and IVrapids and provides recreational opportunities throughout its eight-month season. One of the largest rapids on the Middle Ocoee, "Hell's Hole," runs right beneath the bridge leading to the power station, with "Powerhouse", a significant ledge with a stronghydraulic, right after it. Upstream (to the southeast), TVA also operatesBlue Ridge Dam, which createsLake Blue Ridge (called Blue Ridge Reservoir by TVA).
TheCanoe slalom events during the1996 Summer Olympics were conducted on a half-mile Olympic whitewater course that is fed by releases of water from Ocoee #3. TheOcoee Whitewater Center was built by theU.S. Forest Service for this purpose, including a large building alongU.S. 64, whose eastbound lanes were originally built for traffic which are now converted to be used as a parking and staging area.[12] The center burned down in 2022.[13] A 4.5-mile whitewater rafting area farther downstream is fed by water released from Ocoee Dam #2.[12] 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 (includingbus 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 |
Twenty-four rafting companies make use of the river and at peak times more than 750 people raft the river each day, as of 2025. Rafting on the Ocoee Olympic course takes place 34 days a year (usually on weekends) and rafting on the middle section takes place five days a week each summer. The Ocoee ranks as one of the top ten sites for whitewater rafting in the nation. As of 2025, more than 5 million people have rafted the river, the industry brings in approximately $43 million annually in economic benefits, and it supports more than 600 jobs.[13]
The river was once known as the Ocowee River and, according to theGeographic Names Information System, the Toccoa/Ocoee River has also been known as:[14]
35°12′22″N84°39′28″W / 35.2061°N 84.6578°W /35.2061; -84.6578
