Ocoee River Use and Rafting Outfitters Reach Accord with TVA

An agreement between TVA and the Rafting Outfitters for water releases on the Upper Ocoee River has been signed.

The season for rafters began April 23 and the 2005 contract calls for 43 days of water, the last of which will come on September 24 of this year.

“We took October dates out and some Sundays in September where there were no bookings, “ said Larry Mashburn, President of the Ocoee Outfitters Association.

It has taken a lot of work on the parts of outfitters to come up with creative ways to pay TVA for the costs of water in the contract, which this year amounts to $234,000. Mashburn says each rafting ticket includes a $3.50 fee for water costs and that revenue only covers half the actual water costs. Mashburn wouldn’t elaborate on other ways they will raise the funds for the water, but is “glad we finally got it settled” for this year. “Now we will be meeting to try and figure out the nest 13 years,” he said.

A TVA statement was released saying that they had donated 12 days of water releases, from April 23 to June 5, while the contract was being negotiated. They blamed the contract delay on late payments from the outfitters, whereas the outfitters maintain their payments were made in December and a departmental payment problem existed within TVA.

Nonetheless, both TVA and the outfitters wants to “develop a responsible solutions” for sustaining rafting on the river, and each recognizes the “importance of recreational use of the Upper Ocoee to the regions economic development, while balancing electricity and environmental needs.”