Ocoee River cleanup launches rafting season [photos]

Kevin Schaffer with Sunburst Adventures works Friday to pick up trash along the Ocoee River before the start of rafting season.
Kevin Schaffer with Sunburst Adventures works Friday to pick up trash along the Ocoee River before the start of rafting season.

OCOEE, Tenn. - Before hundreds of thousands of whitewater rafting enthusiasts descend on the Tennessee Valley each year, more than a hundred volunteers walk the Ocoee River.

"This is a good kick-off to the season," said Kip Gilliam, president of Cascade Outdoors. "We really want to get it cleaned up. Most of the people come in from out of town, so we want it to look sharp."

On Friday, 135 volunteers cleaned the area in time for the onset of the whitewater rafting season, which kicked off this weekend. They walked along the roads, down the banks and through the water picking up trash and junk.

The whole process took only a couple hours because of the large turnout and quick work by those who call the river home.

For volunteer Kevin Schaffer, who works for Sunburst Adventures, the day was about keeping the place where he spends so much time clean.

"I come out here almost every day, and I want to make sure I take care of where I'm spending my time," he said.

The Ocoee River is the most visited whitewater rafting area in the U.S., according to Times Free Press archives. And about 250,000 adventurists will strap on a helmet, grab a paddle and raft down the rapids this summer.

After Memorial Day, river trips will run five days a week until Labor Day, closing Tuesdays and Wednesdays when the Tennessee Valley Authority uses the water to create electricity – leaving much of the whitewater course dry.

Locals and whitewater guides understand the importance of the rapids to the region and said they wanted to do their part to ensure visitors return.

For them and others in the the area, the rapids are much more than a beautiful, adrenaline-rushing outdoor adventure. They mean money.

"Whitewater rafting definitely keeps the area running," said Abbi Havard of Whitewater Express, who volunteered Friday. "It's what brings money to this town. It's a big importance in the community, and it brings us all out here together as a river community."

The Ocoee pumps $43.8 million into the region annually, according to a 2013 study by the University of Tennessee.

"This is a big economic driver," Shaffer said. "You get people from Atlanta, Birmingham and all over the country who wouldn't come here otherwise. People will appreciate this more now. When they're coming up, they're not going to see a bunch of trash in the river. They'll get to enjoy the river and the woods and the mountains. That's a lot more beautiful."

And thanks to new legislation, the river will continue to push rafters through the area.

The previous contract, which compensated TVA for the power revenue it lost for releasing water for rafting, was set to expire in 2019. The state, TVA and the U.S. Forest Service reached a new agreement at the urging of local lawmakers and rafters.

The Tennessee House and Senate passed legislation creating the Ocoee River Recreation and Economic Development Fund, which will pay TVA to release water on the Ocoee River.

State lawmakers added an $11.8 million grant to the fund to pay TVA for 20 years. The 22 commercial rafting companies that operate on the river will pay 10 percent of their ticket prices to repay the grant.

The fund is expected to recoup that money in the first several years and then earn additional money throughout the rest of the agreement.

Friday's volunteers worked to assure just that.

Contact staff writer Mark Pace at mpace@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6361. Follow him on Twitter @themarkpace.

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