Tallapoosa River

The Tallapoosa River runs from the southern end of the Appalachian Mountains in Georgia, in the United States, southward and westward into Alabama. It is formed by the confluence of McClendon Creek and Mud Creek in Paulding County, Georgia. Lake Martin at Alexander City, Alabama is a large and popular water recreation area formed by a dam on the river. The Tallapoosa joins the Coosa River about 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Montgomery near Wetumpka (in Elmore County) to form the Alabama River.

There are 4 hydroelectric dams on the Tallapoosa: Yates Dam, Thurlow, Martin and Harris Dam; they are important sources of electricity generation for Alabama Power (a unit of the Southern Company) and recreation for Alabama citizens.

* The Tallapoosa River, especially its lower course, was a major population center of the Creek Indians before the early 19th century.
* Horseshoe Bend National Military Park, a U.S. National Military Park managed by the National Park Service, sits on the banks of the Tallapoosa River just upstream from Lake Martin. [ [http://www.nps.gov/hobe/planyourvisit/directions.htm] National Park Service; Horseshoe Bend National Military Park; Directions]
* Some environmentalists believeweasel-inline that obstructing and varying the flow of the river with dams is damaging to wildlife in the area. [ [http://www.americanrivers.org/site/DocServer/mertallapoosa.pdf?docID=686|American Rivers Organization Paper on Tallapoosa River] ]
* The river below Thurlow Dam provides a short run of outstanding Class II, III and IV whitewater kayaking. [ [http://alabamawhitewater.com/ Alabama White Water Website] ]
* Tallapoosa, Georgia is named for the river, which runs near the town.

Tallapoosa River Impoundments

The Tallapoosa River, at the site where Yates Dam now sits, was the earlier site of the first hydroelectric dam in Alabama, built in 1902, by Henry C. Jones, an Auburn University electrical engineer. Rebuilt after the flood of 1919, the dam that then belonged to the Montgomery Light & Water Power Company was replaced by a third dam, the 1928 Yates Dam. [cite book |last=Atkins |first=Leah Rawl |title="Developed for the Service of Alabama" - The Centennial History of the Alabama Power Company 1906-2006 |year=2006 |publisher=Alabama Power Company |location=Birmingham, Alabama |pages=154-55 |isbn=978-0-9786753-0-1 ]

Currently, there are 4 hydroelectric dams on the Tallapoosa River: Yates Dam, Thurlow Dam, Martin Dam, and Harris Dam.

The table below outlines the four impoundments (dams) on the Tallapoosa River from the south to north.

Significant tributaries

The Tallapoosa River's drainage has many significant tributaries which reflected below based on their location within the watershed.

Photo Gallery

Advocates

The Coosa-Alabama River Improvement Association, founded in 1890 in Gadsden, Alabama to promote navigation on the Coosa River is a leading advocate of the economic, recreational and environmental benefits of the Coosa and Tallapoosa River systems. [ [http://www.caria.org/|Coosa-Alabama River Improvement Association Website, History] ]

The Alabama Rivers Alliance works to unite the citizens of Alabama to protect peoples right to clean, healthy, waters. [ [http://www.alabamarivers.org/ Alabama Rivers Alliance Website] ]

Alabama Water Watch is dedicated to volunteer citizen monitoring of water quality in Alabama Rivers. [ [https://aww.auburn.edu|Alabama Water Watch Website] ]

The Alabama Power Foundation is a non-profit foundation providing grants for watershed, environmental and community projects along the Tallapoosa River and within the state of Alabama [ [http://www.southerncompany.com/alpower/foundation/home.asp|Alabama Power Foundation Website]

The Coosa River Basin Initiative is a grassroots environmental organization with the mission of informing and empowering citizens so that they may become involved in the process of creating a clean, healthy and economically viable Coosa River Basin. [ [http://www.coosa.org/|Coosa River Basin Initative Website] ]

Major Cities

A number of significant cities lie on the banks of the Tallapoosa River. They include:
* Heflin, Alabama - Headwaters
* Buchanan, Georgia - Headwaters
* Tallapoosa, Georgia - Headwaters
* Wedowee, Alabama - Near R. L Harris Lake
* Alexander City, Alabama - North Flank of Lake Martin
* Dadeville, Alabama - South Flank of Lake Martin
* Tallassee, Alabama - Site of Lower Tallassee Dam
* Wetumpka, Alabama - Near confluence with Coosa River forming the Alabama River
* Montgomery, Alabama - Tallapoosa River is major source (60%) of drinking water for city. [ [http://www.mwwssb.com/about_facilities_wtr.cfm Montgomery Water and Sewer Works Facilities] ]

References

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Notes