the toccoa river
Flowing north out of Lake Blue Ridge as the Toccoa River, the name changes to Ocoee at the Tennessee border. In the early 1900's the East Tennessee Power Company built two dams along the river to provide power to its customers. Water would plummet 250 feet down the flume over its 5 mile course and its power was formidable, but the Ocoee River was dry.
It was at this point that outdoor enthusiasts discovered the Ocoee, and by the time the Tennessee Valley Authority wanted to reopen the flume, an industry had risen. To benefit the recreational users of the Ocoee, the TVA agreed to let the water run in the old riverbed every Saturday. Today, this exciting course is known around the world thanks to 1996 Summer Olympics, which held a number of events on the river.
The river is noted among fishermen for its Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout Sunfish and Bass. When water is released from the Blue Ridge Dam to generate electricity, the river becomes a class I-II float through the Georgia hills. Besides providing power and recreational opportunities, the Blue Ridge Dam also helps control flooding.
In Fannin County, the Toccoa River (Ocoee in Tennessee) was home to the first white settlers of the county, between Blue Ridge and McCaysville in an area known as Galloway. Here, early settlers could supplement what they grew with fish taken from the nearby river.
the Indian fish trap
Cherokee Indian settlements were also common along the Toccoa River. A stone's throw from the Toccoa River Lodge are the remains of a rock wall built in a V-shape across the Toccoa. The Indians would stand at the center of the "Fish Trap" and catch fish as they were driven into the "V" by other Indians up stream.
The Blue Ridge Reservoir is located on the Toccoa River in north Georgia, stretching eleven miles southeast from the dam and is now managed by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). The river flows northwest into Tennessee, where it's called the Ocoee River.
The Blue Ridge Reservoir is also part of the Chattahoochee National Forest of North Georgia. There's a scenic overlook above the dam and a shaded picnic area near the powerhouse. The canoe and kayak launch site below the dam gives non-motorized boaters access to the Toccoa River.
Work on the Blue Ridge dam began in 1925. On July 1, 1931, newly created Lake Toccoa began producing power for the Toccoa Electric Power Company. In 1934 the name of the lake was changed to Lake Blue Ridge. Today Lake Blue Ridge provides recreation for Fannin County, as do the Chattahoochee National Forest and the Cohutta Wilderness, part of the largest wilderness area east of the Mississippi River.
***Water release information phone number 1-800-238-2264 /4 /23 or go to the TVA web-site at www.tva.gov and look at the Blue Ridge Dam information page. ***
In 1996, Olympic Events were held on the upper Ocoee River just North of Ducktown. They ended near the Ocoee Whitewater Center, and this section is generally not open to the public. West of the center is the Middle Ocoee, a five mile section of the river just west of Ducktown to a remote take-out point in the Ocoee Gorge. In this five miles the river falls some 250 feet across some Class IV+ rapids. The Middle Ocoee River is significantly calmer than the Upper Ocoee, although there are some good drops. Under normal conditions there are no Class V rapids on the river, however, at times when water flow is greater than normal, some of the Class IV rapids become Class V.
