EPA: Ocoee, Toccoa rivers safe for all sports

DUCKTOWN, TENNESSEE - The Environmental Protection Agency said the water in the Ocoee River in Tennessee and the Toccoa River, just across the state line in northeast Georgia, is safe for all kinds of recreation. <br> <br> ``EPA&#39;s human health-risk assessment confirms that residents and visitors can enjoy swimming, rafting and other water recreation without concern,&#39;&#39; EPA project manager Rich Campbell said. <br> <br> Ocoee Outfitters President Lance Luke said Dr. Claude Terry of Southeastern Expeditions asked the EPA in 2002 to consider any problems for rafting guides who have continued exposure to the river. <br> <br> ``Even frequent contact with the water by whitewater rafting guides, who work on the river five days a week, is not predicted to result in health risks that exceed EPA guidelines,&#39;&#39; Campbell said. <br> <br> He said the assessment was a routine step to create a baseline for water quality and will be used to monitor the impact of ongoing environmental work. <br> <br> The upper Ocoee was the site of 1996 Olympic whitewater events. <br> <br> Campbell said samples of surface water, river sediment and fish were collected in 1997, 2000 and 2002 between Davis Mill Creek in the Copper Basin and Parksville Reservoir. Samples also were taken for comparison in Georgia, where the Ocoee River becomes the Toccoa River. <br> <br> Substances including heavy metals, PCBs, mercury and selenium were found in water and fish. The EPA concluded, based on the samples, that the potential health risks did not exceed agency guidelines for recreational exposure. <br> <br> Campbell said some potential health risk could be associated with eating fish caught in the Ocoee. <br> <br> He said risk calculations are conservative estimates ``based on eating these fish for 30 years.&#39;&#39;