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TVA faces scrutiny after Ocoee River deaths

547 views · Published 28 August 2013 · 1:06 · Indexed 30 October 2026

Channel: chattanooga times free press · 2013 · News & Politics

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Two fatalities over the weekend are bringing increased scrutiny to the Ocoee River.

Some people on the river say TVA was letting too much water through at the time, causing unsafe conditions.

Others are casting blame on this. A 2009 landslide that shifted the riverbank nearly 15 feet -- and made the Grumpy's rapid harder to negotiate.

While many are calling the deaths a freak accident, others aren't so sure.

Rafts aren't allowed on the river when water flow hits 3,000 cubic feet per second, a mark that some raft guides claim the river hit over the weekend.

Still, TVA reports that levels only reached 26 hundred CFS -- A water level confirmed by three different devices.

And after a water level demonstration by TVA, the president of Ocoee River Outfitters says he's convinced the river was within the legal limits during the accidents.

But other guides say outfitters are hesitant to criticize TVA, which has the power to cut off all commercial rafting on the Ocoee -- a $43 million dollar industry.

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