The Cheoah River between Santeetlah Dam and Calderwood Lake is carefully controlled by planned releases of water from Santeetlah Dam, with minimum base flows provided for most of the year and larger releases about 20 times annually creating high-flow pulses. Though these releases can appear chaotic and destructive, they benefit aquatic life and create Class IV-V whitewater for expert boaters. When Santeetlah Dam was built in the 1920s to generate hydroelectric power, it nearly cut off the river’s natural flow, greatly reducing or eliminating fish and other aquatic wildlife and allowing trees and shrubs to take root in the dry river channel. In the early 2000s, a cooperative dam relicensing agreement established a flow regime intended to restore more natural river conditions by increasing year-round base flows and using larger releases to mimic seasonal big rain events that refresh the river system and surrounding habitats.