Where We Are

LTLT’s service area currently encompasses the Upper Little Tennessee and Hiwassee River Basins including the watersheds and forested mountain ranges of the principle tributaries. The principal tributaries to the Upper Little Tennessee River Basin (ULTRB) include the Tuckasegee, Cheoah, and Nantahala Rivers an area that lies within Jackson, Macon, Swain, and Graham counties as well as the northern part of Rabun County, GA.

The ULTRB lies within the Southern Blue Ridge Province of the Southern Appalachian mountains, extending from the Blue Ridge escarpment to the Great Smoky Mountains, and from the Nantahala Mountaina to the Balsam Mountains, with the Cowee Mountains in the center.

The headwaters of the Hiwassee River begin in the mountains of northern Georgia and flow through North Carolina before veering west into Tennessee to join the waters of the Tennessee River. The entire Hiwassee River basin drains 2,700 square miles of land, much of which lies in the Chattahoochee (Georgia), Nantahala (North Carolina), and Cherokee (Tennessee) National Forests. Major tributaries in this area include Nottely River, Brasstown Creek and the Valley River. LTLT’s work for the Hiwassee is primarily focused in Clay and Cherokee county.