Ocmulgee River
The Ocmulgee River (/ɒkˈmʌlɡiː/) is a western tributary of the Altamaha River, approximately 255 mi (410 km) long, in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the westernmost major tributary of the Altamaha.[1] It was formerly known by its Hitchiti name of Ocheese Creek, from which the Creek (Muscogee) people derived their name.
| Ocmulgee River | |
|---|---|
 Ocmulgee River in Telfair County | |
 Map of the Ocmulgee River watershed highlighted; river is dark blue | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Georgia |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Confluence of South, Yellow, and Alcovy rivers |
| • location | Lloyd Shoals Dam |
| • coordinates | 33°19′15″N 83°50′39″W |
| Mouth | Altamaha River |
• location | Hazlehurst |
| Length | 255 mi (410 km) |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | South River |
| • right | Yellow River, Alcovy River |
The Ocmulgee River and its tributaries provide drainage for some 6,180 square miles in parts of 33 Georgia counties, a large section of the Piedmont and coastal plain of central Georgia.[1]
The Ocmulgee River basin has three river subbasins designated by the U.S. Geological Survey: the Upper Ocmulgee River subbasin (hydrologic unit code 03070103); the Lower Ocmulgee River Subbasin (03070104); and the Little Ocmulgee River Subbasin (03070105).[2]
The name of the river may have come from a Hitchiti words oki ("water") plus molki ("bubbling" or "boiling"),[3] possibly meaning "where the water boils up."[1]
