Tallapoosa River
Encyclopedia
The Tallapoosa River runs 265 miles (426.5 km) 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 (16.1 km) northeast of Montgomery
near Wetumpka
(in Elmore County
) to form the Alabama River
.
There are four 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 the public.
The Tallapoosa River, especially its lower course, was a major population center of the Creek Indians before the early 19th century. The contemporary name of the river is from the Creek words "Talwa posa", which mean Grandmother Town. The Creek Indians consider the Tallapoosa branch of their tribe to be one of the oldest.
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.
The river below Thurlow Dam provides a short run of outstanding Class II, III and IV whitewater kayaking
.
Tallapoosa, Georgia
, is named for the river, which runs near the town.
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.
Currently, there are four hydroelectric dams on the Tallapoosa River: Yates Dam, Thurlow Dam, Martin Dam, and Harris Dam.
Environmentalist
s from the American Rivers Organization believe that obstructing and varying the flow of the river with dams is damaging to wildlife
in the area.
The table below outlines the four impoundments (dams) on the Tallapoosa River from south to north.
.
The Alabama Rivers Alliance works to unite the citizens of Alabama to protect peoples right to clean, healthy, waters.
Alabama Water Watch is dedicated to volunteer citizen monitoring of water quality in Alabama Rivers.
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
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.
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
in Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, southward and westward into Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. It is formed by the confluence of McClendon Creek and Mud Creek in Paulding County, Georgia
Paulding County, Georgia
Paulding County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 142,324. The county seat is Dallas....
. Lake Martin
Lake Martin
Lake Martin is located in Tallapoosa, Elmore, and Coosa counties in Alabama. It is a 44,000-acre lake with over 750 miles of wooded shoreline. An artificial reservoir, Lake Martin was formed by the construction of Martin Dam on the Tallapoosa River. The Martin Dam powerhouse is used to generate...
at Alexander City, Alabama
Alexander City, Alabama
Alexander City is the principal city of the Alexander City Micropolitan Statistical Area, a micropolitan area that covers Coosa and Tallapoosa counties and had a combined population of 53,677 at the 2000 census....
is a large and popular water recreation area formed by a dam on the river. The Tallapoosa joins the Coosa River
Coosa River
The Coosa River is a tributary of the Alabama River in the U.S. states of Alabama and Georgia. The river is about long altogether.The Coosa River is one of Alabama's most developed rivers...
about 10 miles (16.1 km) northeast of Montgomery
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
near Wetumpka
Wetumpka, Alabama
Wetumpka is a city in Elmore County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 5,726.The city is the county seat of Elmore County, one of the fastest growing counties in the state....
(in Elmore County
Elmore County, Alabama
Elmore County is a county of the State of Alabama. Its name is in honor of General John A. Elmore. As of 2010 its population was 79,303. Its county seat is Wetumpka.This county is part of the Montgomery Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
) to form the Alabama River
Alabama River
The Alabama River, in the U.S. state of Alabama, is formed by the Tallapoosa and Coosa rivers, which unite about north of Montgomery.The river flows west to Selma, then southwest until, about from Mobile, it unites with the Tombigbee, forming the Mobile and Tensaw rivers, which discharge into...
.
There are four hydroelectric dams on the Tallapoosa: Yates Dam, Thurlow, Martin and Harris Dam; they are important sources of electricity generation
Electricity generation
Electricity generation is the process of generating electric energy from other forms of energy.The fundamental principles of electricity generation were discovered during the 1820s and early 1830s by the British scientist Michael Faraday...
for Alabama Power (a unit of the Southern Company
Southern Company
Southern Company is a public utility holding company of primarily electric utilities in the southern United States. It is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia with executive offices also located in Birmingham, Alabama. The company is currently the 16th largest utility company in the world and the...
) and recreation for the public.
The Tallapoosa River, especially its lower course, was a major population center of the Creek Indians before the early 19th century. The contemporary name of the river is from the Creek words "Talwa posa", which mean Grandmother Town. The Creek Indians consider the Tallapoosa branch of their tribe to be one of the oldest.
Horseshoe Bend National Military Park
Horseshoe Bend National Military Park
Horseshoe Bend National Military Park is a U.S. National Military Park managed by the National Park Service that is the site of the last battle of the Creek War on March 27, 1814. General Andrew Jackson's Tennessee militia, aided by the 39th U.S...
, a U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
National Military Park
National Military Park
National Military Park, National Battlefield, National Battlefield Park, and National Battlefield Site are four designations for 24 battle sites preserved by the United States federal government because of their national importance...
managed by the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
, sits on the banks of the Tallapoosa River just upstream from Lake Martin.
The river below Thurlow Dam provides a short run of outstanding Class II, III and IV whitewater kayaking
Whitewater kayaking
Whitewater kayaking is the sport of paddling a kayak on a moving body of water, typically a whitewater river. Whitewater kayaking can range from simple, carefree gently moving water, to demanding, dangerous whitewater. River rapids are graded like ski runs according to the difficulty, danger or...
.
Tallapoosa, Georgia
Tallapoosa, Georgia
Tallapoosa is a city in Haralson County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,789 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Tallapoosa, incorporated in 1860, is located in Haralson County, in northwest Georgia, about west of Atlanta, just north of Interstate 20 and east of the Alabama state line...
, is named for the river, which runs near the town.
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 UniversityAuburn University
Auburn University is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of the largest universities in the state. Auburn was chartered on February 7, 1856, as the East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts...
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.
Currently, there are four hydroelectric dams on the Tallapoosa River: Yates Dam, Thurlow Dam, Martin Dam, and Harris Dam.
Environmentalist
Environmentalist
An environmentalist broadly supports the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that seeks to improve and protect the quality of the natural environment through changes to environmentally harmful human activities"...
s from the American Rivers Organization believe that obstructing and varying the flow of the river with dams is damaging to wildlife
Wildlife
Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
in the area.
The table below outlines the four impoundments (dams) on the Tallapoosa River from south to north.
| Impoundment | Description | Images |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Thurlow (Lower Tallasee Dam) | Lake Thurlow was impounded in 1930. Thurlow Dam was built in Tallassee Tallassee, Alabama Tallassee is a city on the Tallapoosa River, located in both Elmore and Tallapoosa counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. At the 2000 census the population was 4,934... at the site of an early 19th century textile mill that was used during the Civil War American Civil War The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25... as a uniform and ammunition plant. The Benjamin Fitzpatrick Bridge spans the river immediately south of Thurlow Dam. |
 |
| Lake Yates (Upper Tallasee Dam) | Lake Yates was impounded July 1, 1928 and named for Eugene A. Yates, the Chief Engineer for Alabama Power dam building efforts hired in 1912. The nearest town is Tallassee, Alabama. One public access site is maintained by Alabama Power. |  |
| Lake Martin Lake Martin Lake Martin is located in Tallapoosa, Elmore, and Coosa counties in Alabama. It is a 44,000-acre lake with over 750 miles of wooded shoreline. An artificial reservoir, Lake Martin was formed by the construction of Martin Dam on the Tallapoosa River. The Martin Dam powerhouse is used to generate... |
Lake Martin was impounded December 31, 1926 and named for Thomas Martin, president of Alabama Power Company from 1920 to 1949 and chief executive officer from 1949 to 1963. The lake impounds 44,000 acres (160 km²) with 700 miles (1000 km) of shoreline. The nearest town is Alexander City, Alabama Alexander City, Alabama Alexander City is the principal city of the Alexander City Micropolitan Statistical Area, a micropolitan area that covers Coosa and Tallapoosa counties and had a combined population of 53,677 at the 2000 census.... . Lake Martin is an Alabama Power lake with an 154,200 kilowatt generating capacity. It is an excellent recreational lake with fishing opportunities for largemouth bass Largemouth bass The largemouth bass is a species of black bass in the sunfish family native to North America . It is also known as widemouth bass, bigmouth, black bass, bucketmouth, Potter's fish, Florida bass, Florida largemouth, green bass, green trout, linesides, Oswego bass, southern largemouth... , spotted bass Spotted bass The Spotted Bass , also called "Spotty", "Leeman", or "Spots" in various fishing communities, is a species of freshwater fish sunfish family of order Perciformes. One of the black basses, it is native to the Mississippi River basin and across theGulf States, from central Texas through the Florida... , bluegill Bluegill The Bluegill is a species of freshwater fish sometimes referred to as bream, brim, or copper nose. It is a member of the sunfish family Centrarchidae of the order Perciformes.-Range and distribution:... and other sunfish, crappie Crappie Crappie is a genus of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. The type species is P. annularis, the white crappie... , catfish Catfish Catfishes are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the heaviest and longest, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia and the second longest, the wels catfish of Eurasia, to detritivores... , striped bass Striped bass The striped bass is the state fish of Maryland, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and the state saltwater fish of New York, Virginia, and New Hampshire... and white bass White bass The white bass or sand bass The white bass or sand bass The white bass or sand bass (MoroneIt is the state fish of Oklahoma.- Range :White bass are distributed widely across the United States, particularly in the midwest. They are very abundant in Pennsylvania and the area around Lake Erie... . Alabama Power maintain eleven public access sites maintained on the lake. |
 |
| Lake R. L. Harris (Lake Wedowee) | Lake R. L. Harris Lake was impounded April 20, 1983 and named for Rother L. "Judge" Harris, an Alabama Power director and vice president of electric operations. The lake covers 10,600 acres (43 km²) with 271 miles (436 km) of shoreline. The nearest town is Wedowee, Alabama Wedowee, Alabama Wedowee is a town in Randolph County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 818. The city is the county seat of Randolph County.-History:... . R. L. Harris is an Alabama Power lake with an 135,000 kilowatt generating capacity. It is an excellent recreational lake with fishing opportunities for largemouth bass, spotted bass, bluegill and other sunfish, crappie, catfish, striped bass, hybrid and white bass. Alabama Power maintains six public access sites on the lake. |
 |
Significant tributaries
The Tallapoosa River's drainage has many significant tributaries which reflected below based on their location within the watershedDrainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
.
| Location | Tributaries |
|---|---|
| Headwaters to H.L. Harris Dam | Little Tallapoosa River |
| H.L. Harris Dam to Martin Dam | Emuckfaw Creek, Sandy Creek, Wind Creek, Chikasanoxee Creek, Hillabee Creek |
| Martin Dam to Yates Dam | Saugahatchee Creek |
| Yates Dam to Thurlow Dam | No Major Tributaries |
| Thurlow Dam to Coosa River Confluence | Tumcheehatchee Creek, Chubbehatchee Creek, Cubahatchee Creek, Calabee Creek |
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.The Alabama Rivers Alliance works to unite the citizens of Alabama to protect peoples right to clean, healthy, waters.
Alabama Water Watch is dedicated to volunteer citizen monitoring of water quality in Alabama Rivers.
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
The Coosa River Basin Initiative
Coosa river basin initiative
Coosa River Basin Initiative is a 501c3 grassroots environmental organization based in Rome, Georgia with the mission of informing and empowering citizens to protect, preserve and restore North America's most biologically diverse river basin, the Coosa...
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.
Major cities
A number of significant cities lie on the banks of the Tallapoosa River. They include:- Heflin, AlabamaHeflin, AlabamaHeflin is a city in Cleburne County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 3,002. The city is the county seat of Cleburne County.-History:...
- headwaters - Buchanan, GeorgiaBuchanan, GeorgiaBuchanan is a city in Haralson County, Georgia, United States. The population was 941 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Haralson County.Locally, the city's name is pronounced BUCK-an'-uhn, with the emphasis on the first syllable....
- headwaters - Tallapoosa, GeorgiaTallapoosa, GeorgiaTallapoosa is a city in Haralson County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,789 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Tallapoosa, incorporated in 1860, is located in Haralson County, in northwest Georgia, about west of Atlanta, just north of Interstate 20 and east of the Alabama state line...
- headwaters - Wedowee, AlabamaWedowee, AlabamaWedowee is a town in Randolph County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 818. The city is the county seat of Randolph County.-History:...
- near R. L Harris Lake - Alexander City, AlabamaAlexander City, AlabamaAlexander City is the principal city of the Alexander City Micropolitan Statistical Area, a micropolitan area that covers Coosa and Tallapoosa counties and had a combined population of 53,677 at the 2000 census....
- north flank of Lake Martin - Dadeville, AlabamaDadeville, AlabamaDadeville is a city in Tallapoosa County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 3,212. The city is the county seat of Tallapoosa County.Dadeville is part of the Alexander City Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
- south flank of Lake Martin - Tallassee, AlabamaTallassee, AlabamaTallassee is a city on the Tallapoosa River, located in both Elmore and Tallapoosa counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. At the 2000 census the population was 4,934...
- site of Lower Tallassee Dam - Wetumpka, AlabamaWetumpka, AlabamaWetumpka is a city in Elmore County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 5,726.The city is the county seat of Elmore County, one of the fastest growing counties in the state....
- near confluence with Coosa River forming the Alabama River - Montgomery, AlabamaMontgomery, AlabamaMontgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
- Tallapoosa River is major source (60%) of drinking water for city.