April 26, 2000 

National Wildlife Federation Report- Pollution Paralysis II: Code Red for Watersheds - Tennessee Gets a "D" Grade

Our nation's waters are in trouble. NWF evaluated compliance with a provision of the Clean Water Act aimed at protecting watersheds from pollution pesticides, excessive nutrients and other chemicals that come primarily from agriculture and forests as opposed to a specific smokestack or discharge pipe.  States are required to designate waterways impaired by such pollution,  prioritize the severity of the problems and develop a plan to curtail the pollution. Michael Murray, the report's co-author, says most states have done little beyond compiling lists.  In fact, this report finds that three-fourths of the states are failing to use watershed restoration plans or Total Maxium Daily Loads (TMDLs) to address water pollution caused by runoff from farms and forests.  Results are summarized for each state and nationally in NWF's report, and each state is given a letter grade indicating how well they are cleaning up their waterways.  Tennessee was among 19 states who received a 'D' for 'poor'.  No state received an 'A' for 'good'.

To download the full report, go to:

http://www.nwf.org/nwf/watersheds/paralysis/index.html