Ocmulgee River

Ocmulgee River
River
Ocmulgee River in Telfair County
Country	United States
State	Georgia
Tributaries
- left	South River
- right	Yellow River, Alcovy River
Source	Confluence of South, Yellow, and Alcovy rivers
- location	Lloyd Shoals Dam, Georgia
- coordinates	33°19′15″N 83°50′39″W / 33.32083°N 83.84417°W / 33.32083; -83.84417
Mouth
- location	Hazelhurst, Georgia
Length	255 mi (410 km)
Map of the Ocmulgee River watershed highlighted; river is dark blue

The Ocmulgee River (ok-MUHL-gee) 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.

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.

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 Ocmulge River Subbasin (03070105).

The name of the river may have come from a Hitchiti words oki ("water") plus molki ("bubbling" or "boiling"), possibly meaning "where the water boils up."

The river rises at a point in north central Georgia southeast of Atlanta, at the confluence of the Yellow, South, and Alcovy rivers. Since the construction of the Lloyd Shoals Dam in the early 20th century, these rivers join as arms of the Jackson Lake reservoir. The river's source is formed at an elevation of around 530 feet above sea level.

The Ocmulgee River flows from the dam southeast past Macon, which was founded on the fall line. It joins the Oconee from the northwest (241 miles downstream from Jackson Lake) to form the Altamaha near Lumber City.