Pigeon River (Tennessee - North Carolina)

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This article describes the Pigeon River which flows from western North Carolina into East Tennessee. For information about other Pigeon Rivers, or places called Pigeon River, please see the Pigeon River disambiguation page.

The Pigeon River of Western North Carolina and East Tennessee rises above Canton, North Carolina, the site of a large Champion Paper Co. paper mill, formerly the source of considerable pollution to the river. Below this, it flows roughly parallel to Interstate 40 for many miles, and is impounded by a dam belonging to Duke Energy (Waterville) before entering Tennessee, where it flows into the French Broad River.

There are two sections of the Pigeon river that rafters can enjoy, the Upper and the Lower. The Upper section puts in at the powerhouse and features exciting Class III-IV rapids. The trip is a fast and fun ride. The minimum age requirement for the Upper is 8 years old. The Lower section has a lower age requirement of four. With gentle waves and beautiful scenery, this section is a great primer for families with young children. Kids can even have fun guiding the raft down this section.

The floods following the series of storms spawned by hurricanes in September, 2004 have changed the character of the river. The rains lasted days and flooding was severe. The town of Canton was completely underwater and was later visited by vice presidential candidate John Edwards. Farther upstream the water levels reached unprecedented levels. Part of Interstate 40 actually collapsed into the river gorge due to the force of the floodwaters.

The river became a minor issue in the campaign for the 1988 Presidential election. As Al Gore started running for President the first time, Newsweek magazine reported that Gore was pressured by North Carolina Senator Terry Sanford and congressman Jamie Clarke to ease up on his campaign against pollutant discharges by Champion International paper mill into the Pigeon River. According to Newsweek, Gore complied with their request, writing to the EPA in opposition to a tighter water pollution standard.("Gore's Pollution Problem", Newsweek, 24 November 1997)