Ocoee River natural or man-made?

No, the Ocoee River is not man-made. Although many people seem to treat the river as an amusement. And some on the more gullible side look for tracks running under the rafts. But in fact the river is natural with the source of creation being tectonic plate movement and weathering over millions of years.

The Ocoee is a mountain river in southeast Tennessee and northwest Georgia. This natural river runs through the Cherokee National Forest. And it is a popular destination for whitewater rafting and kayaking. 

1996 Olympic Whitewater Slalom Course

White the river is natural it features four dams. These four TVA dam generate electricity. Additionally the riverbed at the whitewater center was channelized for the Olympic slalom events of the 1996 games. The engineering helped raise the level of rapids to Olympic standards. Adding features with additional stones and concrete. Modifying hazarded to reduce inherent risks to competitors in the games. By filling sieves and under-cuts with concrete. This work on affects a quarter mile of the river between the bridges at the Ocoee Whitewater Center.

Geological origin

The North American tectonic plate collided with the African tectonic plate. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) this collision is the origin of the Appalachian Mountains. Those mountains in turn gave rise to the Ocoee River (USGS, 2020).

Rapid-flowing mountain river

Additionally, the USGS classifies the Ocoee River as a “rapid-flowing, mountain river.” The river water comes from springs, creeks and rainwater. The course of the Ocoee results from the underlying geology. As a result, the river is constantly changing (USGS, 2020). High water events can move large rocks and make dramatic changes to the river quickly.

References: United States Geological Survey. (2020). Ocoee River.