Little Tennessee River
Origin	Rabun County, Georgia
Mouth	Tennessee River at Lenoir City, Tennessee
Basin countries	United States
Length	135 miles (217 km)
Mouth elevation	741 feet (226 m)

The Little Tennessee River is a tributary of the Tennessee River, approximately 135 miles (217 km) long, in the Appalachian Mountains in the southeastern United States. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... [[ == Headline text == This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Rabun County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. ... A riverboat passing under the Henley Street Bridge on the Tennessee River. ... Lenoir City is a city located in Loudon County, Tennessee. ... This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... A riverboat passing under the Henley Street Bridge on the Tennessee River. ... A rainy day in the Great Smoky Mountains, Western North Carolina The Appalachian Mountains are a vast system of North American mountains mostly in the United States, and partly in Canada, forming a zone, from 100 to 300 miles wide, running from the island of Newfoundland some 1,500 miles... Regional definitions vary from source to source. ...

Geography

It rises in the Blue Ridge Mountains, 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 miles (40 km) southwest of Knoxville. Blue Ridge Mountains, Shining Rock Wilderness Area Appalachian Mountain system The Blue Ridge is a mountain chain in the eastern United States, part of the Appalachian Mountains, forming their eastern front from Georgia to Pennsylvania. ... The Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest in northern Georgia is actually two U.S. National Forests, Oconee National Forest and Chattahoochee National Forest, linked together. ... Rabun County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. ... Dillard is a city located in Rabun County, Georgia, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 198. ... Official language(s) English Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Area  Ranked 28th  - Total 53,865 sq mi (139,509 km²)  - Width 150 miles (240 km)  - Length 560[1] miles (901 km)  - % water 9. ... The Cullasaja River is a short river located entirely in Macon County, North Carolina. ... Franklin is a town located in Macon County, North Carolina. ... Cullasaja Falls, Nantahala National Forest. ... Official language(s) English Capital Nashville Largest city Memphis Largest metro area Nashville Area  Ranked 36th  - Total 42,169 sq mi (109,247 km²)  - Width 120 miles (195 km)  - Length 440 miles (710 km)  - % water 2. ... A riverboat passing under the Henley Street Bridge on the Tennessee River. ... Lenoir City is a city located in Loudon County, Tennessee. ... Nickname: Location within the U.S. State of Tennessee Coordinates: Cities in Tennessee Tennessee Government  - Mayor Bill Haslam (R) Area  - City 254. ...

Impoundments

The lower river is impounded several places by sequential dams, some created as part of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) 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 feet (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. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Ashokan Reservoir, located in Ulster County, New York, USA. It is one of 19 that supplies New York City with drinking water. ... Fontana Dam Fontana Dam is a Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) hydroelectric dam on the Little Tennessee River in the U.S. state of North Carolina. ... Cades Cove panorama The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a United States National Park that straddles the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains, part of the Blue Ridge Mountains which are a division of the larger Appalachian Mountain chain. ... Picture of flooding in Amphoe Sena, Ayutthaya Province, Thailand. ... Hydroelectric dam diagram The waters of Llyn Stwlan, the upper reservoir of the Ffestiniog Pumped-Storage Scheme in north Wales, can just be glimpsed on the right. ...

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 the three 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. The 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 environmental controversy during the 1970s regarding the snail darter, an endangered species. It was the first major legal challenge to the Endangered Species Act. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Aluminum is a soft and lightweight metal with a dull silvery appearance, due to a thin layer of oxidation that forms quickly when it is exposed to air. ... Alcoa is a city in Blount County, Tennessee, United States, south of Knoxville. ... Tellico Dam impounded Tellico Reservoir by the Tennessee Valley Authorityis located in Loudon County, Tennessee in eastern Tennessee, southwest of Knoxville, on the Little Tennessee River. ... Lenoir City is a city located in Loudon County, Tennessee. ... Tellico Reservoir, also known as Tellico Lake, is an artificial lake in Tennessee, created by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in 1979 upon the completion of Tellico Dam. ... Fort Loudoun Dam Fort Loudoun Lock and Dam. ... The Canal du Midi, Toulouse, France Canals are man-made channels for water. ... // Overview On August 12, 1973 University of Tennessee biologist and professor David Etnier discovered the snail darter in the Little Tennessee River while doing research related to a lawsuit involving the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Tellico Dam, then under construction on the Little Tennessee River near the confluence... Binomial name Percina tanasi Etnier, 1976 The snail darter is a small (up to 9cm long) fish native to waters of East Tennessee. ... The Siberian Tiger, a subspecies of tiger. ... [[Image:{{npov}} {{expert-subject|Law}} The Endangered Species Act (, et seq. ...

History

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, a tributary of the Little Tennessee River. For other uses, see Cherokee (disambiguation). ... Nikwasi (also spelled Nequassee, Nucassee, Noucassih, etc. ... Chota was a Cherokee town on the outskirts of Tanasi near present-day Vonore, Tennessee. ... Tanasi was the informal capital of the Cherokee nation in the 18th century. ... The Tellico River is a short river located in the westernmost mountains of North Carolina, where it rises, but primarily in Monroe County, Tennessee. ...

The Little Tennessee River was once known as the Tennessee River, receiving the name from the Cherokee town of Tanasi.