Flume Line Collapse

Ocoee Dam Number Two flume line collapse

In 1976 the old wooden flume line for Ocoee Dam Number Two, built in 1913, was in disrepair. It was essentially collapsing. There was a small railway on top of the flume that was used for a handcar to haul materials to maintain the structure. In 1976 the flume line could no longer support the rails for the handcar and the flume itself could not be maintained.

There was considerable discussion of removing the old flume line altogether, but preservationists intervened, and reconstruction was begun. It took six years to rebuild the old flume line with treated wood, but by 1983 the flume was back in business. Even the train track was rebuilt, and the flume maintenance materials are hauled by a propane powered small tram. The flume line has now been placed on the national register of historical places.