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Water and Watersheds

A watershed is a land area that channels rainfall and snowmelt to creeks, streams, and rivers, and eventually to outflow points such as reservoirs, bays, and the ocean. While some watersheds are relatively small, others encompass thousands of square miles and may contain streams, rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and underlying groundwater that are hundreds of miles inland.

  • Boone Watershed Partnership—Boone Watershed is an area of about 686 square miles lying in Sullivan, Washington, Unicoi, and Carter Counties of Tennessee and Washington County of Virginia.
  • Cumberland River Compact—The Cumberland River basin is a huge region, stretching nearly 18,000 square miles. It is home to nearly 2.5 million people and all or portions of over 70 Tennessee and Kentucky counties. The Cumberland River basin is made up of 14 major watersheds.
  • Lower Clinch Watershed Council—The Lower Clinch River Watershed originates in the tailwaters of Norris Lake in East Tennessee. There are 802 stream miles and 8,167 lake acres which drain approximately 631 square miles of land and empties to Watts Bar Lake. The Clinch River and Melton Hill Lake, and the cities of Clinton, Kingston, Maynardville, Norris, Lake City, Oliver Springs, and Oak Ridge are located within the watershed. The Lower Clinch Watershed is the source of drinking water for 67,000 people and 24,000 head of livestock.
  • Stones River Watershed—The Stones River Watershed is located in Middle Tennessee and includes parts of Cannon, Davidson, Rutherford, and Wilson counties. It is approximately 921 square miles and drains to the Cumberland River.
  • The Community Riparian Restoration Program (CRRP) for Tennessee, a program developed in partnership with the UT Institute of Agriculture and Tennessee Division of Forestry, aims to raise awareness and understanding of riparian buffer systems and their role in our communities through education and applied research. These objectives will be achieved by developing a model and support curriculum to equip Tennessee communities to complete priority forested riparian projects to meet municipal planning, human health, equality, environmental health, recreation, education, and other management objectives.
  • Water Quality Forum (Knox County area)—The Water Quality Forum is a coalition of diverse partners including municipalities, utilities, non-profit organizations, and businesses working together to keep our waters in East Tennessee clean.
  • Wolf River Conservancy—The Wolf River Conservancy is dedicated to the protection and enhancement of the Wolf River and its watershed as a sustainable natural resource. The spring-fed Wolf River rises in north Mississippi and flows northwest through Fayette and Shelby counties to join the Mississippi River at Memphis.

Stormwater Programs in Tennessee:


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