Ocoee Whitewater Center
Encyclopedia
The Ocoee Whitewater Center, near Ducktown, Tennessee
, United States
, was the canoe slalom
venue for the 1996 Summer Olympics
in Atlanta. The Olympic race course was built in the dry riverbed of the Upper Ocoee
river. The Upper Ocoee is the 3.5 mi (5.6 km) section between Ocoee Dam #3 and its downstream powerhouse. The Middle Ocoee is the 4.5 mi (7.2 km) section between Ocoee Dam #2 and its downstream powerhouse. The same river in Georgia, upstream of the lake behind Dam #3, is called the Tocoa River. The river was narrowed by two-thirds, and natural boulders were moved and cemented into place to create the drops and eddies needed for a slalom course. It is the only in-river course to be used for Olympic slalom competition. A visitor center, parking lot, and suspension foot bridge were part of the Olympic construction project.
Today, the course is watered only on summer weekends, for use by guided rafts and private boaters. The hanging slalom gates have been permanently removed. Because the river rarely has water, the Center, now operated by the U.S. Forest Service, serves primarily as a site for hiking, mountain biking, conferences, weddings, and receptions. It receives about 300,000 visitors a year.
, two miles (3 km) upstream. Its hydroelectric power plant is located downstream from the Center, fed by a tunnel and penstock which carry all the water used for power generation, bypassing the section of river where the Whitewater Center is located. Consequently, all water for the Olympic course must be released directly into the river from Dam #3, bypassing the tunnel and penstock and forfeiting the production of 30 Megawatts of electricity. This makes the Ocoee Olympic course the world's most expensive to operate, and is the chief reason it is no longer used for slalom training and competition. Only the commercial rafting industry can afford the water.
For 54 years, from 1942, when the dam was built by the Tennessee Valley Authority
, until 1996, when the Olympic Games came to Atlanta, the Upper Ocoee, a 3.5 mi (5.6 km) section of Ocoee riverbed between Dam #3 and its powerhouse, was dewatered except during flood control releases, usually during the winter and spring. For twenty years, 1976-1996, whitewater rafting on the Middle Ocoee just downstream, between Dam #2
and its powerhouse, had attracted attention to the area. The availability of the Upper Ocoee as a dry construction site during the summer greatly aided the creation of an Olympic slalom course in the riverbed.
A 1-to-10 scale model of the riverbed, with water, was constructed outdoors near the base of Ocoee Dam #1
to test the effect of the proposed course design. The 1.9% slope of the river (99 ft/mile, 19 meters/km) is typical of Olympic courses, but, because the narrowed river is still much wider than a typical artificial slalom channel, the required streamflow (1560 cubic feet/second, 44 m³/s) is two to three times greater than usual.
Construction of the course was a pivotal event in the history of Olympic whitewater. The first Olympic whitewater competition took place during the 1972 Olympic Games
in Munich, using the world's first artificial slalom course, the Eiskanal
in nearby Augsburg
, as the venue. Because of the expense of course construction, the next four Summer Olympic Games were held without whitewater events. In 1992, for the Barcelona games
, an artificial slalom course, Parc Olímpic del Segre
, was constructed in the nearby Pyrenees
mountains, using natural streamflow supplemented by pump-driven recirculation.
After 1992, because of construction expense, the future of Olympic whitewater events was once again in question. Had they not been included in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, they might have been dropped forever, but Ocoee established whitewater as a permanent feature of the summer Olympics. Every host city since 1996 has built a whitewater stadium powered entirely by electric pumps (which consume electricity at the rate of about 3 Megawatts, one tenth the electricity cost of the Ocoee course).
From 1913, when Dam #2 and its flume were completed, until 1976, when the flume was shut down for repair, the 4.5 miles (7.2 km) section of river below the flume was dewatered most of the time, especially in summer. In 1976, the sudden appearance of water in the long-dry Middle Ocoee river attracted private canoers and kayakers and commercial rafting operators, who by 1983, when the flume was put back in service, had enough political clout and money to strike a deal with TVA for regular recreational releases during the summer months. Thirteen years later, when the 1996 Olympic Games came to the Upper Ocoee, recreational releases were scheduled for the upper section of the river as well.
According to a 13-year agreement now in force, the Upper Ocoee, below Dam #3 and flowing past the Whitewater Center, has mid-day water 34 days a year, on summer weekends. The Middle Ocoee, below Dam #2, has water 106 days a year. On the days when the Upper Ocoee is also watered, the Middle Ocoee has water into the early evening (its own release plus the extra water from upstream). Most rafting activity takes place on the Middle Ocoee, which has a 1% slope of 50 ft/mile (9.5 m/km). Rafting down the Upper Ocoee, and through the steeper Olympic course, is offered as a more challenging alternative.
provides access to the center and is usually open year-round.
Ducktown, Tennessee
Ducktown is a city in Polk County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 427 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Cleveland, Tennessee Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Ducktown is located at...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, was the canoe slalom
Canoeing at the 1996 Summer Olympics
The canoeing competition at the 1996 Summer Olympics was composed of 16 events in two disciplines, slalom and sprint...
venue for the 1996 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
in Atlanta. The Olympic race course was built in the dry riverbed of the Upper Ocoee
Toccoa/Ocoee River
The Toccoa River and Ocoee River are actually a single river that flows northwestward through the southern Appalachian Mountains of the southeastern United States...
river. The Upper Ocoee is the 3.5 mi (5.6 km) section between Ocoee Dam #3 and its downstream powerhouse. The Middle Ocoee is the 4.5 mi (7.2 km) section between Ocoee Dam #2 and its downstream powerhouse. The same river in Georgia, upstream of the lake behind Dam #3, is called the Tocoa River. The river was narrowed by two-thirds, and natural boulders were moved and cemented into place to create the drops and eddies needed for a slalom course. It is the only in-river course to be used for Olympic slalom competition. A visitor center, parking lot, and suspension foot bridge were part of the Olympic construction project.
Today, the course is watered only on summer weekends, for use by guided rafts and private boaters. The hanging slalom gates have been permanently removed. Because the river rarely has water, the Center, now operated by the U.S. Forest Service, serves primarily as a site for hiking, mountain biking, conferences, weddings, and receptions. It receives about 300,000 visitors a year.
Olympic slalom course
River flow through the Ocoee Whitewater Center is controlled by Ocoee Dam #3Ocoee Dam No. 3
Ocoee Dam No. 3 is a hydroelectric dam on the Ocoee River in Polk County, in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is one of four dams on the Toccoa/Ocoee River owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority, which built the dam in the early 1940s to meet emergency demands for electricity during...
, two miles (3 km) upstream. Its hydroelectric power plant is located downstream from the Center, fed by a tunnel and penstock which carry all the water used for power generation, bypassing the section of river where the Whitewater Center is located. Consequently, all water for the Olympic course must be released directly into the river from Dam #3, bypassing the tunnel and penstock and forfeiting the production of 30 Megawatts of electricity. This makes the Ocoee Olympic course the world's most expensive to operate, and is the chief reason it is no longer used for slalom training and competition. Only the commercial rafting industry can afford the water.
Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a federally owned corporation in the United States created by congressional charter in May 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly affected...
, until 1996, when the Olympic Games came to Atlanta, the Upper Ocoee, a 3.5 mi (5.6 km) section of Ocoee riverbed between Dam #3 and its powerhouse, was dewatered except during flood control releases, usually during the winter and spring. For twenty years, 1976-1996, whitewater rafting on the Middle Ocoee just downstream, between Dam #2
Ocoee Dam No. 2
Ocoee Dam Number 2 is a hydroelectric dam on the Ocoee River in Polk County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The dam impounds the Ocoee No. 2 Reservoir and is one of four dams on the Toccoa/Ocoee River owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority. Ocoee Dam No...
and its powerhouse, had attracted attention to the area. The availability of the Upper Ocoee as a dry construction site during the summer greatly aided the creation of an Olympic slalom course in the riverbed.
A 1-to-10 scale model of the riverbed, with water, was constructed outdoors near the base of Ocoee Dam #1
Ocoee Dam No. 1
Ocoee Dam Number 1 is a hydroelectric dam on the Ocoee River in Polk County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The dam impounds the Parksville Reservoir , and is the farthest downstream of four dams on the Toccoa/Ocoee River owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority. Completed in 1911,...
to test the effect of the proposed course design. The 1.9% slope of the river (99 ft/mile, 19 meters/km) is typical of Olympic courses, but, because the narrowed river is still much wider than a typical artificial slalom channel, the required streamflow (1560 cubic feet/second, 44 m³/s) is two to three times greater than usual.
Construction of the course was a pivotal event in the history of Olympic whitewater. The first Olympic whitewater competition took place during the 1972 Olympic Games
1972 Summer Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....
in Munich, using the world's first artificial slalom course, the Eiskanal
Eiskanal
The Eiskanal is an artificial canal feature in the city of Augsburg, Germany that was constructed as the canoe slalom venue for the 1972 Summer Olympics that were hosted in Munich....
in nearby Augsburg
Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
, as the venue. Because of the expense of course construction, the next four Summer Olympic Games were held without whitewater events. In 1992, for the Barcelona games
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
, an artificial slalom course, Parc Olímpic del Segre
Parc Olímpic del Segre
Parc Olímpic del Segre is a canoeing and kayaking facility in La Seu d'Urgell, Catalonia, Spain, built in 1990 for use during the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona....
, was constructed in the nearby Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
mountains, using natural streamflow supplemented by pump-driven recirculation.
After 1992, because of construction expense, the future of Olympic whitewater events was once again in question. Had they not been included in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, they might have been dropped forever, but Ocoee established whitewater as a permanent feature of the summer Olympics. Every host city since 1996 has built a whitewater stadium powered entirely by electric pumps (which consume electricity at the rate of about 3 Megawatts, one tenth the electricity cost of the Ocoee course).
The Whitewater Center today
Whitewater rafting on the Middle Ocoee, downstream from the Whitewater Center, first became a thriving industry in 1976, when the wooden flume between Dam #2 and its powerhouse was shut down for renovation. The power generation system for Dam #2 is similar to that for Dam #3. In both cases water is drained from the lake behind the dam and transported with little loss in elevation to a penstock and powerhouse several miles downstream. From Dam #2 the water travels through an above-ground wooden aqueduct, or flume, rather than through a tunnel. In both cases, the riverbed between the dam and powerhouse, which drops about 250 feet (76.2 m) in elevation, is deprived of all the water used in power generation.From 1913, when Dam #2 and its flume were completed, until 1976, when the flume was shut down for repair, the 4.5 miles (7.2 km) section of river below the flume was dewatered most of the time, especially in summer. In 1976, the sudden appearance of water in the long-dry Middle Ocoee river attracted private canoers and kayakers and commercial rafting operators, who by 1983, when the flume was put back in service, had enough political clout and money to strike a deal with TVA for regular recreational releases during the summer months. Thirteen years later, when the 1996 Olympic Games came to the Upper Ocoee, recreational releases were scheduled for the upper section of the river as well.
According to a 13-year agreement now in force, the Upper Ocoee, below Dam #3 and flowing past the Whitewater Center, has mid-day water 34 days a year, on summer weekends. The Middle Ocoee, below Dam #2, has water 106 days a year. On the days when the Upper Ocoee is also watered, the Middle Ocoee has water into the early evening (its own release plus the extra water from upstream). Most rafting activity takes place on the Middle Ocoee, which has a 1% slope of 50 ft/mile (9.5 m/km). Rafting down the Upper Ocoee, and through the steeper Olympic course, is offered as a more challenging alternative.
Hiking, Biking, and Camping
The Tanasi Trail System Mountain Bike Trail offers 30 miles (48 km) of trails centered on the Whitewater Center. The Thunder Rock Campground is located at Powerhouse #3, one mile (1.6 km) west (downstream) of the Center. The Ocoee Scenic BywayOcoee Scenic Byway
The Ocoee Scenic Byway is a National Forest Scenic Byway in Tennessee, United States. This 26 mile historic byway follows U.S. Highway 64 through the Cherokee National Forest and was the first to be designated as a National Forest Scenic Byway in the United States....
provides access to the center and is usually open year-round.