Water Quality

PUBLIC NOTICE: Tennessee Division of Water Pollution Control Solicits Water Quality Data. 

Is your stream muddy? Does it smell? Do you believe that your river or stream is polluted? Do you have any information that leads you to believe your local streams, lake, or river is polluted?

The Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition (OVEC), West Virginia Rivers Coalition (WVRC), and twenty-three other environmental organizations and citizens filed a lawsuit on January 23, 2002 against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over a water quality policy that is supposed to keep West Virginia's high quality rivers and streams from being unnecessarily polluted.

USGS Launches New Web Site for Nation's Water Data

In mid-July the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) launched its new, online National Water Information System (NWISWeb) and in so doing opened the doors allowing the public to access a tremendous amount of water data collected by the federal earth science agency over the past century. The new website, found at: http://water.usgs.gov/nwis/, allows users to access several hundred million pieces of archival and real-time data on water quality, quantity, and movement.

Settlement in TMDL Lawsuit Reached
A settlement has been reached in a lawsuit by several Tennessee environmental groups against EPA to ensure that watershed cleanup plans are carried out. Follow the link above for full details.

The Wetlands Regulation Center
This very handy web site links to information on federal wetlands regulations and legislation, court decisions, administrative branch policies, and implementation issues. It is a great resource for anyone working on wetlands policy. Check it out the next time you have questions about federal policy!

Index of Best Non-point Source Pollution Controls
EPA recently drafted a list of what it considers the best non-point source materials available for both the public and professionals. Many of these resources are available in electronic format. To view the list, click above.

Tennessee Erosion and Sediment Control Handbook
Download the handbook as a PDF file (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader) or contact your local Environmental Assistance Center for a copy.

Duck River Monitoring Workshop
A report and photos from a terrific workshop in October 2000 in Columbia.

Smart Growth and the Clean Water Act
Click above for a new publication from the Northeast Midwest Institute.

Bush's Clean Water Choices
The Natural Resources Defense Council has released "Clean Water, Clear Choice: Upcoming Bush Administration Decisions on Water Pollution" on its web site to give reporters, producers and editorial writers a check list of pending federal decisions on protecting water. Click above for more.

March 14, 2001  

"Daylighting: New Life For Buried Streams":  

Randall Arendt Presentation, March 22:  

TMDLs for Dissolved Oxygen and Fecal Coliform Proposed for South Fork Forked Deer River

March 1, 2001

New Watershed Initiatives Report

October 10, 2000 

5. CONFERENCE:  MEDIA Workshop at Fall Creek Falls (JANUARY, 2001):

NEW RESOURCE:  Spills and Kills Released

CHECK IT OUT!  New State Water Quality Fact Sheets

Sept 23, 2001

ONLINE ACCESS TO A WEALTH OF WATER-QUALITY DATA

CONFERENCE:  Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring: Overcoming Boundaries  

September 9, 2000

ANNOUNCEMENT:  CALL for Papers on Sustainable Watersheds – Balancing Multiple Needs (10^th Annual Lake Management Conference)  

SOCM:  Citizen Hotline Set Up to Help Citizens Identify Bad Logging Practices

Tennesseans Sue Forest Service for Breaking Clean Water Law [excerpt from press release]

The Southern Environmental Law Center filed suit against the U.S. Forest Service for approving a timber sale in the Cherokee National Forest that would pollute streams already too dirty to meet Tennessee's water quality standards. 

Freedom to Know About Pollution in Your Backyard Want to know about point source discharges in your area:  Check out this Resource!  

June 12, 2000

Atlas of America's Polluted Waters  

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.

April 26, 2000

Announcing:  ***  WaterForum  ***  A new e-mail discussion forum WaterForum is a free and open forum for discussion of water resources issues; including drinking water, water conservation, drainage, environmental chemistry, wetlands, wastewater, irrigation, recreational use, fisheries and wildlife use, aquaculture, coastal studies and oceanography, environmental and public health issues, contamination/ remediation, computer modeling, climatology, hydropower, and any other relevant water resources topics.  

 April 26, 2000 

Resources - Urban Stream Restoration: A Video Tour of Ecological Restoration Techniques with Ann Riley: This information-packed video tour of six urban stream restoration sites is led by Ann Riley, a nationally known hydrologist, stream restoration professional, and executive director of the Waterways Restoration Institute in Berkley, California.  The video provides background information on how the projects were funded and organized with community involvement,  and the history and principles of restoration.  It includes examples of stream restoration in very urbanized areas,  recreating stream shapes and meanders, creek daylighting, soil bioengineering, and ecological flood control projects.