Coosa River

Coosa River
Fall colors on the Coosa River near Wetumpka, Alabama
The Coosa River is the major tributary when it joins the Tallapoosa River near Wetumpka, Alabama to form the Alabama River.
Location
Country	United States
State	Alabama, Georgia
Physical characteristics
Source	Etowah River
• location	Suches, Georgia
• coordinates	34°39′43″N 84°07′41″W / 34.662°N 84.128°W / 34.662; -84.128
• elevation	2,677 ft (816 m)
2nd source	Oostanaula River
• location	Dunn, Georgia
• coordinates	34°53′06″N 84°34′23″W / 34.885°N 84.573°W / 34.885; -84.573
• elevation	~ 730 feet (220 m)[1]
Mouth	Alabama River
• location	Coosada, Alabama
• coordinates	32°29′10″N 86°16′40″W / 32.48611°N 86.27778°W / 32.48611; -86.27778[2]
• elevation	121 ft (37 m)[2]
Length	280 mi (450 km)[3]
Basin size	10,100 sq mi (26,000 km2)[4]
Discharge
• location	USGS gage 02411000, Coosa River at Jordan Dam near Wetumpka, AL[5]
• average	15,950 cu ft/s (452 m3/s)[5]
• minimum	54 cu ft/s (1.5 m3/s)
• maximum	256,000 cu ft/s (7,200 m3/s)

The Coosa River is a tributary of the Alabama River in the U.S. states of Alabama and Georgia. The river is about 280 miles (450 km) long.^[3]

The Coosa River begins at the confluence of the Oostanaula and Etowah rivers in Rome, Georgia, and ends just northeast of the Alabama state capital, Montgomery, where it joins the Tallapoosa River to form the Alabama River just south of Wetumpka. Around 90% of the Coosa River's length is located in Alabama. Coosa County, Alabama, is located on the Coosa River.

The Coosa is one of Alabama's most developed rivers. Most of the river has been impounded, with Alabama Power, a unit of the Southern Company, owning seven dams and powerhouses on the Coosa River. The dams produce hydroelectric power, but they are costly to some species endemic to the Coosa River.