SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — A kayak and tubing company that coined the phrase "Shoot the Hooch" and has been putting thousands of people into the Chattahoochee River for over two decades said they're on the verge of closing due to safety concerns.
Shoot the Hooch Owner Bill Odrey said he's not putting anyone in the water without thinking about their safety first.
“We will not subject anyone to this safety issue, we’re not going to have anyone drown," Odrey added.
Odrey said he has put his business on hold after getting the news from the National Park Services (NPS) that he would have to move his business and his more than a dozen employees up the river to Duluth.
His general manager, Barbara Russell, said they've been in Sandy Springs since the business started.
“We’ve been on the Chattahoochee for 23 years and we’ve been at Powers Ferry Island at least 21 of those years. And this year is the first year that the parks say we would have to move north," Russell said.
The new location will now put them 22 miles north of their original location, and Odrey said it's not a safe portion of the river.
"All along the river, there is debris," he said.
The business owner adds that he doesn't believe it's safe for kayakers, tubers, or even swimmers.
“There’s downed trees and the water flow is different," Odrey said.
A group of tubers was spotted getting stuck on sticks and rocks at the Abbot Bridge Boat Ramp on Friday.
Odrey said despite expressing his concerns to NPS officials, they told him their decision was based on a recent survey and was final.
He said what's final for him is that he won't put anyone in danger, even if it means giving up the thing he loves the most.
“This is my livelihood…it is,” Odrey said.
11Alive reached out to the NPS to learn more about the decision to move Shoot the Hooch's drop-in location and we're still waiting to hear back.