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The Tallapoosa River runs U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
, accessed April 27, 2011
from the southern end of the
Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. The ...
in
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
, United States, southward and westward into the Appalachian foothills in
Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
. It is formed by the confluence of McClendon Creek and Mud Creek in Paulding County, Georgia.
Lake Martin Lake Martin is located in Tallapoosa, Elmore and Coosa counties in Alabama. It is a 39,000-acre (178 km²) reservoir with over 750 miles (1,200 km) of wooded shoreline. Lake Martin is a reservoir, enlarged by the construction of Mar ...
at
Dadeville, Alabama Dadeville is a city in and the county seat of Tallapoosa County, Alabama, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 3,230, up from 3,212 in 2000. History Dadeville was named for Major Francis Langhorne Dade, who died in the Seminole ...
is a large and popular water recreation area formed by a dam on the river. The Tallapoosa joins the
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.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 27, 2011 ...
about northeast of Montgomery near
Wetumpka Wetumpka () is a city in and the county seat of Elmore County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 7,220. In the early 21st century Elmore County became one of the fastest-growing counties in the state. The city is ...
(in Elmore County) to form the
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, near the town of Wetumpka. The river flows west to Selma, then southwest until, about from Mobile, it un ...
. There are four hydroelectric dams on the Tallapoosa: Yates, Thurlow, Martin and Harris dams. They are important sources of
electricity generation Electricity generation is the process of generating electric power from sources of primary energy. For electric utility, utilities in the electric power industry, it is the stage prior to its Electricity delivery, delivery (Electric power transmi ...
for
Alabama Power Alabama Power Company, headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, is a company in the southern United States that provides electricity service to 1.4 million customers in the southern two-thirds of Alabama. It also operates appliance stores. It is one ...
(a unit of the
Southern Company Southern Company is an American gas and electric utility holding company based in the southern United States. It is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with executive offices also located in Birmingham, Alabama. The company is the second largest ...
) and recreation for the public.


Description

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 A tribal town (Muscogee language, Muscogee ''talwa'', Hitchiti language, Hitchiti ''okla'') was a form of political and social organization of people in what is now the southeastern United States from at least the 16th century into the 19th century ...
posa'', which mean "Grandmother Town". The Creek consider the Tallapoosa branch of their tribe to be one of the oldest.
Horseshoe Bend National Military Park Horseshoe Bend National Military Park is a 2,040-acre, 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 ...
, a
U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
National Military Park National Military Park, National Battlefield, National Battlefield Park, and National Battlefield Site are four designations for 25 battle sites preserved by the United States federal government because of their national importance. The designat ...
managed by the
National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...
, is located along the banks of the Tallapoosa River just upstream from Lake Martin. It preserves a battle site associated with the
Creek War The Creek War (1813–1814), also known as the Red Stick War and the Creek Civil War, was a regional war between opposing Indigenous American Creek factions, European empires and the United States, taking place largely in modern-day Alabama ...
. The river below Thurlow Dam provides a short run of outstanding Class II, III and IV
whitewater kayaking Whitewater kayaking is an adventure sport where a river is navigated in a decked kayak. Whitewater kayaking includes several styles. River running; where the paddler follows a river and paddles rapids as they travel. Creeking usually involving s ...
.
Tallapoosa, Georgia Tallapoosa is a city in Haralson County, Georgia. The population was 3,170 at the 2010 census, up from 2,789 at the 2000 census. History The Georgia General Assembly incorporated Tallapoosa as a town in 1860. The community takes its name from th ...
is named for the river, which runs near the town.


Impoundments

The first
hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...
dam in Alabama was built on the Tallapoosa River in 1902, by Henry C. Jones, an
Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a public land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama. With more than 24,600 undergraduate students and a total enrollment of more than 30,000 with 1,330 faculty members, Auburn is the second largest uni ...
electrical engineer Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...
, at the site of the current Yates Dam. It was destroyed in the flood of 1919 but rebuilt. The dam then belonged to the Montgomery Light & Water Power Company. In 1928 it was replaced by the Yates Dam. There are four hydroelectric dams on the Tallapoosa River: Yates Dam, Thurlow Dam, Martin Dam, and R.L. Harris Dam. The table below outlines the four impoundments (dams) on the Tallapoosa River from south to north.


Significant tributaries

The Tallapoosa River's drainage has many significant tributaries which reflected below based on their location within the watershed.


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 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, Alabama Heflin is a city and the county seat of Cleburne County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 3,431. It is located approximately halfway between Birmingham and Atlanta along Interstate 20. History Heflin was first s ...
- headwaters *
Buchanan, Georgia Buchanan is a city and the county seat of Haralson County, Georgia, United States. The population was 1,104 at the 2010 census, up from 941 at the 2000 census. Locally, the city's name is pronounced Buck-HAN-uhn. History Buchanan was founded in ...
- headwaters *
Tallapoosa, Georgia Tallapoosa is a city in Haralson County, Georgia. The population was 3,170 at the 2010 census, up from 2,789 at the 2000 census. History The Georgia General Assembly incorporated Tallapoosa as a town in 1860. The community takes its name from th ...
- headwaters *
Wedowee, Alabama Wedowee is a town in Randolph County, Alabama, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 823, up from 818 in 2000. The small town is the county seat of Randolph County. It was initially incorporated in 1836, but its charter lapsed by th ...
- near R. L Harris Lake (Lake Wedowee) *
Lineville, Alabama Lineville is a city in Clay County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 2,489. History Native Americans were the first to inhabit the area now known as Lineville. The Creek Indian War of 1813, however, resulted in t ...
- near R.L harris Lake (Lake Wedowee *
Wadley, Alabama Wadley is a town in Randolph County, Alabama, Randolph County, Alabama, United States. It is home to the Wadley campus of Southern Union State Community College. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 751, up from 640 in 2000. Accord ...
- on the banks of the Tallapoosa River *
Alexander City, Alabama Alexander City, known to locals as "Alex City", is the largest city in Tallapoosa County, Alabama, United States, with a population of 14,843 as of the 2020 census. It has been the largest community in Tallapoosa County since 1910. It is kno ...
- north flank of Lake Martin *
Dadeville, Alabama Dadeville is a city in and the county seat of Tallapoosa County, Alabama, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 3,230, up from 3,212 in 2000. History Dadeville was named for Major Francis Langhorne Dade, who died in the Seminole ...
- south flank of Lake Martin *
Tallassee, Alabama Tallassee (pronounced ) is a city on the Tallapoosa River, located in both Elmore and Tallapoosa counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. At the 2020 census, the population was 4,763. It is home to a major hydroelectric power plant at Thurlow ...
- site of Lower Tallassee Dam *
Wetumpka, Alabama Wetumpka () is a city in and the county seat of Elmore County, Alabama, Elmore County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 7,220. In the early 21st century Elmore County became one of the f ...
- near confluence with Coosa River forming the Alabama River *
Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...
- Tallapoosa River is major source (60%) of drinking water for city.


References

* * *


Notes


External links

* {{authority control Rivers of Alabama Rivers of Georgia (U.S. state) Rivers of Elmore County, Alabama Rivers of Paulding County, Georgia Rivers of Tallapoosa County, Alabama Rivers of Randolph County, Alabama ACT River Basin