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Ocoee Whitewater Center
The Ocoee Whitewater Center, near Ducktown, Tennessee, United States, was the canoe slalom venue for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, and it is the only in-river course to be used for Olympic slalom competition. A 1,640-foot (500 m) stretch of the Upper Ocoee River was narrowed by two-thirds to create the drops and eddies needed for a slalom course. Today, the course is watered only on summer weekends, 34 days a year, for use by guided rafts and private boaters. When the river has water, 24 commercial rafting companies take more than 750 raft passengers through the course each day.
Because the river is dry most of the year, the Center, now operated by the U.S. Forest Service, also serves as a site for hiking, mountain biking, conferences, weddings, and receptions. It receives about 300,000 visitors a year.
The Ocoee Whitewater Center visitor center was destroyed by a fire early on the morning of April 26, 2022, and the main structure was completely destroyed. As of June 2023, investigators hadn't determined the cause of the fire. On May 27, 2023, a little over a year after the fire, the day use area of the Center opened to the public, and the U.S. Forest Service sought public input for developing a masterplan for the Center.
Since most Olympic host cities are located far from usable whitewater, canoe slalom is a relatively recent addition to the Olympic games. The first two Olympic canoe slalom venues were canals built around dams on small rivers in nearby mountains: Augsburg Eiskanal for the 1972 Munich Games, and Segre Olympic Park for the 1992 Barcelona Games. The 1996 Atlanta Games produced the third such venue by modifying the then-dry streambed of the Upper Ocoee River. As the only in-river Olympic venue, it had the greatest water volume, the highest drop, and the steepest slope. The more recent Olympic venues, built closer to their host cities, rely entirely on pumped water and use smaller concrete channels designed to minimize the energy cost of running the pumps.
Levees built along the shore of the Ocoee River, and covered with natural rock, reduced its width from 200 feet (61 m) to 70 feet (21 m), which is still twice the width of most artificial whitewater channels. Even at this reduced width, for the water surface to have the desired dynamics the streamflow needed to be 1,400 cu ft/s (40 m3/s), which is two or three times greater than the flow of most artificial whitewater channels. The proposed river modifications were tested on a 1-to-10 scale model, with water, constructed outdoors near the base of Ocoee Dam #1, at 35°05′48″N 84°39′07″W / 35.0967°N 84.652°W.
Despite the fact that the Ocoee is watered by rainfall and gravity, the energy cost of putting water in the river is high in terms of sacrificed electricity production. The Upper Ocoee, the 3.5 mi (5.6 km) section of the river between Dam #3 and its powerhouse, is normally dewatered except during flood control releases, usually during the winter and spring. Lake water is taken by tunnel and penstock, at the rate of 1,050 cu ft/s (30 m3/s), to the power house 300 feet (91 m) lower than the lake surface. This water flow and vertical drop generate 23 megawatts of electricity. Any water in the river must come directly from the dam and bypass the power house. The Olympic Games dam release of 1,400 cu ft/s (40 m3/s) represented an electricity sacrifice of 31 megawatts, and today's recreational releases of 1,600 cu ft/s (45 m3/s) represent an electricity sacrifice of 35 megawatts, or $2100/hour at 6¢/kilowatt-hour.
The popular rafting industry generates enough revenue to partially compensate the Tennessee Valley Authority for lost electricity, but slalom athletes need a cheaper place to practice. In 2006, the U.S. National Whitewater Center was built in Charlotte, North Carolina, with an Olympic-standard whitewater course watered by three half-megawatt pumps.
The Media and VIP building for the whitewater events was designed by TWH Architects of Chattanooga, Tennessee. The building now contains a visitors center and gift shop.
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Ocoee Whitewater Center
The Ocoee Whitewater Center, near Ducktown, Tennessee, United States, was the canoe slalom venue for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, and it is the only in-river course to be used for Olympic slalom competition. A 1,640-foot (500 m) stretch of the Upper Ocoee River was narrowed by two-thirds to create the drops and eddies needed for a slalom course. Today, the course is watered only on summer weekends, 34 days a year, for use by guided rafts and private boaters. When the river has water, 24 commercial rafting companies take more than 750 raft passengers through the course each day.
Because the river is dry most of the year, the Center, now operated by the U.S. Forest Service, also serves as a site for hiking, mountain biking, conferences, weddings, and receptions. It receives about 300,000 visitors a year.
The Ocoee Whitewater Center visitor center was destroyed by a fire early on the morning of April 26, 2022, and the main structure was completely destroyed. As of June 2023, investigators hadn't determined the cause of the fire. On May 27, 2023, a little over a year after the fire, the day use area of the Center opened to the public, and the U.S. Forest Service sought public input for developing a masterplan for the Center.
Since most Olympic host cities are located far from usable whitewater, canoe slalom is a relatively recent addition to the Olympic games. The first two Olympic canoe slalom venues were canals built around dams on small rivers in nearby mountains: Augsburg Eiskanal for the 1972 Munich Games, and Segre Olympic Park for the 1992 Barcelona Games. The 1996 Atlanta Games produced the third such venue by modifying the then-dry streambed of the Upper Ocoee River. As the only in-river Olympic venue, it had the greatest water volume, the highest drop, and the steepest slope. The more recent Olympic venues, built closer to their host cities, rely entirely on pumped water and use smaller concrete channels designed to minimize the energy cost of running the pumps.
Levees built along the shore of the Ocoee River, and covered with natural rock, reduced its width from 200 feet (61 m) to 70 feet (21 m), which is still twice the width of most artificial whitewater channels. Even at this reduced width, for the water surface to have the desired dynamics the streamflow needed to be 1,400 cu ft/s (40 m3/s), which is two or three times greater than the flow of most artificial whitewater channels. The proposed river modifications were tested on a 1-to-10 scale model, with water, constructed outdoors near the base of Ocoee Dam #1, at 35°05′48″N 84°39′07″W / 35.0967°N 84.652°W.
Despite the fact that the Ocoee is watered by rainfall and gravity, the energy cost of putting water in the river is high in terms of sacrificed electricity production. The Upper Ocoee, the 3.5 mi (5.6 km) section of the river between Dam #3 and its powerhouse, is normally dewatered except during flood control releases, usually during the winter and spring. Lake water is taken by tunnel and penstock, at the rate of 1,050 cu ft/s (30 m3/s), to the power house 300 feet (91 m) lower than the lake surface. This water flow and vertical drop generate 23 megawatts of electricity. Any water in the river must come directly from the dam and bypass the power house. The Olympic Games dam release of 1,400 cu ft/s (40 m3/s) represented an electricity sacrifice of 31 megawatts, and today's recreational releases of 1,600 cu ft/s (45 m3/s) represent an electricity sacrifice of 35 megawatts, or $2100/hour at 6¢/kilowatt-hour.
The popular rafting industry generates enough revenue to partially compensate the Tennessee Valley Authority for lost electricity, but slalom athletes need a cheaper place to practice. In 2006, the U.S. National Whitewater Center was built in Charlotte, North Carolina, with an Olympic-standard whitewater course watered by three half-megawatt pumps.
The Media and VIP building for the whitewater events was designed by TWH Architects of Chattanooga, Tennessee. The building now contains a visitors center and gift shop.