Ocoee, Nantahala, Pigeon and Hiwassee release schedules

Short answer: as of October 26, 2026, TVA has not published 2027 release calendars for the Ocoee or the Hiwassee, and Duke Energy has not published 2027 calendars for the Pigeon or the Nantahala. Below: the dates left in 2026, how the 2026 season ran (so you know roughly what to expect), and where each 2027 calendar will appear. We don’t guess at future dates.

Middle Ocoee (Ocoee No. 2 Dam)

2026: 117 scheduled release days, from Mar 21 to Nov 1. Busiest months: August (23 days), July (22 days), June (21 days). Most common windows: “6-hour day: 10 am - 4 pm” (37 days); “8-hour day: 9 am - 5 pm” (33 days); “10-hour day: 9 am - 7 pm” (30 days).

Still to come in 2026:

• Sat Oct 31 6-hour day: 10 am - 4 pm
• Sun Nov 1 6-hour day: 10 am - 4 pm

Live flow and the full panel: Ocoee River at Copperhill.

Upper Ocoee (Ocoee No. 3 Dam)

2026: 34 scheduled release days, from May 16 to Sep 12. Busiest months: August (10 days), June (8 days), July (8 days). Most common windows: “Five hour day: 9 am - 2 pm” (13 days); “Eight hour day: 8:30 am - 4:30 pm” (12 days); “Six hour day: 9 am - 3 pm” (9 days).

2026 is finished. TVA hasn’t posted its 2027 calendar yet.

Official calendars: TVA Ocoee No. 2 · TVA Ocoee No. 3. TVA posts next-day schedules by about 6 p.m. and can change them without notice.

Hiwassee (Apalachia Dam)

2026: 129 scheduled release days, from May 2 to Oct 31. Busiest months: July (31 days), August (31 days), June (30 days). Most common windows: “10 am - 11 am - min of one generator; 11 am - 7 pm - two generators” (74 days); “Before 10 am - min flow only; 10 am - 11 am - one generator; 11 am - 7 pm - two generators” (34 days); “Before 10 am - min flow only” (13 days).

Still to come in 2026:

• Sat Oct 31 Before 10 am - min flow only; 10 am - 11 am - one generator; 11 am - 3 pm - two generators

Live flow and the full panel: Hiwassee River at Apalachia Powerhouse.

Official calendar: TVA Apalachia. TVA’s descriptions list how many generators run in each window.

Pigeon (Walters Dam, Duke Energy)

Duke Energy’s 2026 Walters calendar schedules 1,200 cfs recreation releases, 12 pm–6 pm on “Schedule 1” days and 2 pm–6 pm on “Schedule 2” days. Duke posts the next three days of releases online:

• Mon Oct 26 7 pm – 9 pm
• Tue Oct 27 No flow release
• Wed Oct 28 No flow release

Sources: Duke Energy scheduled flow releases (Pigeon) · 2026 Walters recreation calendar (PDF). Live flow on the Waterville gauge: Pigeon River below Power Plant near Waterville. After Hurricane Helene, American Whitewater reports the upper put-in is closed during I-40 work; the 2026 put-in is the bridge at the Waterville exit.

Nantahala (Duke Energy)

Next three days of Nantahala powerhouse releases from Duke Energy:

• Mon Oct 26 7 am – 5 pm
• Tue Oct 27 No flow release
• Wed Oct 28 7 am – 4 pm

2026 bypass releases (Upper Nantahala and Cascades, Duke Energy bypass schedule): Apr 18: 250 cfs, 10 am–4 pm; Apr 19: 350 cfs, 10 am–4 pm; Jun 19: 250 cfs, 4–7 pm; Jul 1: 250 cfs, 4–7 pm; Jul 24: 250 cfs, 4–7 pm; Aug 7: 250 cfs, 4–7 pm; Sep 26: 300 cfs, 10 am–5 pm; Sep 27: 425 cfs 10 am–3 pm, then 250 cfs 3–5 pm.

American Whitewater’s reach alert says Duke plans to shut down the Nantahala powerhouse from November 1 to mid-January. Check Duke’s schedule before you go.

Sources: Duke Energy scheduled flow releases (Nantahala) · Nantahala main-stem 2026 calendar (PDF) · bypass schedule (PDF). Live flow: Nantahala River near Hewitt.

Other scheduled-release rivers

• Gauley (WV): the Army Corps released 2,800 cfs from Summersville Dam on 6 weekends, Sep 11–Oct 18, 2026. The 2027 dates aren’t published yet (USACE Huntington).
• Lehigh (PA): the Army Corps held 24 whitewater releases from F.E. Walter Dam in 2026, ending with the October 8–12 drawdown (USACE Philadelphia).
• Kennebec (ME): Brookfield posts the Harris Station short-term schedule on SafeWaters.

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