The Ocoee River will most-likely be busy this summer, as it is every year. However, because of COVID-19, rafting procedures will differ from years past.
“It’ll look a little different, because the crowds will be smaller and there will be more spacing on the buses,” said Keith Jenkins. “There will be spacing on the river, because as we put people in the raft, we will naturally have space in between the rafts.
A lot of it will go back to normal, but we will be doing some other things behind the scenes.”
He also said the powers involved in making decisions have consulted with the U.S. Coast Guard in order to come up with guidelines.
David Bowling, Vice President of River and Resources Stewardship at TVA, said TVA schedules releases from each of the dams to regulate water levels. He also gave a focus to the economic importance of the Ocoee River and rafting to the local economy.
“Over $44 million in revenue and value into this region, and over 600 jobs are associated with that,” said Mr. Bowling. “Recreation as a whole from the lakes and river system is worth $1 million a mile over 11,000 miles of shoreline. So it’s worth over a billion dollars overall.”
Senator Mike Bell agreed with this sentiment, saying that rafting itself is only one component of the economy. He said not only do people go rafting, but they “are getting gas from our gas stations, food from our restaurants, and staying in our hotels.”
“What better way for many of us and many of our state citizens, who have been cooped up for the last several months, to get out and enjoy God’s creation than to go rafting down the river?” asked Senator Bell.
Angelo Giansante, park manager at Hiwassee Ocoee State Park, said that avid rafters and park workers alike may come back with “more gratitude” than other times. After all, there was a point earlier in the year where it looked as if COVID-19 would keep the parks closed through the summertime months."
She added, “It’s been really wonderful, because park rangers aren’t very useful without people. We’re here to show you all of the wonders of our park and nature has to offer.”