Little Tennessee River
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| Little Tennessee River | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Rabun County, Georgia |
| Mouth | Tennessee River at Lenoir City |
| Basin countries | USA |
| Length | 135 mi (217 km) |
| Mouth elevation | 741 ft (226 m) |
The Little Tennessee River is a tributary of the Tennessee River, approximately 135 mi (217 km) long, in the Appalachian Mountains in the southeastern United States.
It rises in the Blue Ridge, in the Chattahoochee National Forest in Rabun County in northeastern Georgia. It flows north through the mountains past Dillard into southwestern North Carolina. It is joined by the Cullasaja River at Franklin, then turns northwest, flowing through the Nantahala National Forest along the north side of the Nantahala Mountains and past Lauada. It crosses into eastern Tennessee and joins the Tennessee River at Lenoir City, 25 mi (40 km) southwest of Knoxville.
The lower river is impounded several places by sequential dams, some created as part of the Tennessee Valley Authority system, forming a string of reservoirs in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee down to its confluence with the Tennessee. Near the state line between North Carolina and Tennessee, it is impounded by the 480 ft (146 m) high Fontana Dam, completed in 1944, forming Fontana Lake along the southern boundary of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is also impounded by Cheoah Dam in North Carolina, and by Calderwood and Chilhowee dams in Tennessee. The reservoirs provide flood control and hydroelectric power. Calderwood diverts water through a tunnel in the mountains; its generators are located at the mouth of this tunnel, not at the dam itself. Chilhowee, Calderwood, and Cheoah were originally built by Alcoa to power the aluminum plant at Alcoa, Tennessee. To ensure efficiency in operation, these dams are now operated by the TVA as part of its system; the TVA then gives Alcoa an amount of electrical power every year equivalent to the amount generated by Aloca's dams. The final impoundment is Tellico Dam, which is just above its mouth into the Tennessee River at Lenoir City, Tennessee. It creates Tellico Reservoir. This dam does not have its own hydroelectric generators, but serves to increase the flow through those at nearby Fort Loudoun Dam on the Tennessee by means of a canal which diverts much of the flow of the Little Tennessee. This dam was the site of a tremendous environmental controversy during the 1970s regarding the snail darter, an endangered species. It was the first major legal challenge to the Endangered Species Act. See Snail darter controversy for more information.
The Little Tennessee River has played a major role in Cherokee history. Many of the Cherokee Middle Towns were located along the Little Tennessee River in North Carolina, including Nikwasi (Nucassee), Jore (Iotla), Cowee, and Kituhwa (Kittowa) on the tributary Tuckasegee River. In Tennessee, many of the Overhill Towns were on the Little Tennessee River, including Chota, Tanasi, Sitiku (Citico), and Toqua. The Cherokee town known as Great Tellico was located on the Tellico River, tributary of the Little Tennessee River.
The Little Tennessee River was once known as the Tennessee River, receiving the name from the Cherokee town of Tanasi.
