"COPPER BASIN, Tenn. — A decade ago, the Ocoee River was dead — devoid of any insect or fish life that normally signals clean water."

"
The river bore the legacy of more than a hundred years of acid runoff from the massive copper mine that gave Copperhill its name.

Now, after 10 years of environmental cleanup that included building two massive water treatment plants on tributaries of the Ocoee, the river that gained fame as an Olympic whitewater course not only is meeting most water quality standards, but also is alive again."

Pam Sohn reports for the Chattanooga Times Free Press October 10, 2011. [2]