Taming a river was not what designers had in mind when they set out to build the first Olympic whitewater course in a river for the 1996 Centennial Olympics (See LASN June 1996, "Laurels For Atlanta"). Instead, they wanted to transform the dry, rocky and acid-laden Ocoee River in southeastern Tennessee into the biggest and most challenging whitewater course man had ever made.

Many believed the river transformation was a success, including Cathy Hearn, U.S. Olympic Kayak competitor: "This had been a flat section of the river, very wide and very shallow. They have narrowed it up by adding natural and artificial rock. It's really hard and big water. The result is a really challenging piece of whitewater."

Creating such a wild ride took ingenuity on the part of the USDA Forest Service of Tennessee, who headed the project; Landscape Architecture Firm Pickering, Inc.; the whitewater course design team, McLaughlin Water Engineers (MWE) of Denver; and Whitewater Architect John Anderson of Maryland. From the onset of the project, the Forest Service intended the course to be multi-purpose in nature. Although river mechanics was an underlying issue, long-lasting beauty and recreational use was at the forefront of the Forest Service's priorities. The Forest Service challenged the course design team to go beyond current whitewater course performance levels by maintaining the integrity of the natural area, while making the course eminently stronger than nature.

MWE was selected for river-related design after it was determined that modifications to the upper Ocoee river were needed. The team had to armor roadways and the surrounding area from flood hazards, focus available water flows, and accommodate spectators for the upcoming events -- all while maintaining a nautral-looking course. Anderson contributed to the team his knowledge and experience in competitive whitewater course competition and course design. He also assisted the Forest Service during the construction inspection phase.

The team used the largest model of a whitewater course available, a 300-foot, 1:10-scale physical model, to calculate flow patterns, wave type, flow velocity, eddy size and location, hydraulic jumps, and water depth. Besides saving time and money in experimental boulder placement, construction costs, and the amount of water required to test at full-scale, the model minimized disruption to the river.

In many cases, design objectives seemed to contradict one another. Flood velocities capable of moving multi-ton, four-foot-diameter boulders around like marbles required "concrete" solutions. Concrete does not offer the desired natural look, yet natural materials erode. The river was flat, uninteresting, and not suited to high-caliber, competitive racing; however, man-made looking modifications were not desired. The design team raced to meet the strict deadline. "This was somewhat unusual for a government project, in that it really had to be done on time," emphasized Paul Wright, U.S. Forest Service Director. The project was designed and built in less than two years.

Sandstone boulders harvested from the area shaped the course banks and venue, some weighing up to 7 tons each. The design team developed the concept to build a river within a river. Whitewater designers used levees or banks to create the narrow "inner" whitewater course. This allowed the "outer" river to be used for viewing areas during events and to convey high flows during floods.

The completed levees appear natural and unaltered by the hands of man. Hidden are the rebar and grouted boulders that went into making the levees strong. The project's stiff criteria resulted in the development of new technology by MWE. Designers had to create modifications strong enough to resist the harsh conditions in an area known to have water flows 40 times greater than normal, while still maintaining the character of the river. During construction alone, the course was flooded five times.

The innovative solution, called the layered grouted boulder (LGB) technique, kept hidden a special mixture of concrete that was both durable and cost-effective, allowing the natural beauty of the rocks and boulders to be the main focus. The technique was applied to an estimated 74,000 tons of boulders and 14,000 cubic yards of concrete. "Faux" or artificial rock was used for the first time in a harsh river environment. It was attached structurally to the bedrock, creating new river features and enhancing existing ones.

It began as a dream of a whitewater enthusiast who wanted to include the slalom events in the summer games. Getting the event funded and placed in the Olympic schedule required a public-private partnership between the Forest Service, the State of Tennessee, Tennessee Valley Authority, Tennessee Ocoee Development Agency, Ocoee Region Canoe & Kayak Association, and the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games. Thousands of volunteers helped in the overall effort as well.

The Forest Service wanted the site to become a destination point, one that would eventually be a magnet for millions of visitors each year. The local economy, hurt by the closure of the last copper mine in 1985, would reap the long-term benefits. Today, thousands of visitors each month stream into the Ocoee Whitewater Center, far surpassing the expectations of planners. The Center features nearly 1,000 native plantings between the building and the lower half of the course, including trees, shrubs and perennials.

Directly following the Olympic games, the Forest Service received the only gold medal awarded to a non-athlete from the International Canoe Federation for advancing the canoe and kayak sport. It, along with many other mementos, is on display for tourists at the Ocoee Whitewater Center.LASN