An Overview of Our Water Quality

urban runoff urban

Grazing in riparian zones riparian in Grazing sediment and depletion oxygen Nutrients, 8.1 Creek Mill

18 and discharges sewer storm alterations habitat and Pathogens 4.5 Branch Hollow Jocelyn Branch, Gap Vaughns

failures, system sewer Sanitary

undetermined sources undetermined alterations habitat and loss vegetation

16.0 Creek Owl

storm sewer discharges sewer storm

Storm sewer discharges, land development and and development land discharges, sewer Storm riparian sediment, nutrients, Pathogens, 17

Pathogens 2.8 Branch Davidson

and failures system sewer Sanitary

undetermined sources undetermined

Pathogens and nutrients and Pathogens 5.7 Creek Indian

and discharges sewer Storm 16 Storm sewer discharges sewer Storm alterations habitat and Pathogens 3.9 Creek Cooper

Land development and undetermined sources undetermined and development Land sediment and Pathogens 6.2 Creek Holt

Storm sewer discharges sewer Storm Pathogens 5.1 Branch Pages

Storm sewer discharges and land development land and discharges sewer Storm vegetation riparian of loss and Sediment 8.3 Creek Turkey Creek, Collins

storm sewer discharges sewer storm

Pathogens 4.9 River) (Cumberland Reservoir Cheatham

and failures system sewer Sanitary

Storm sewer discharges sewer Storm alterations habitat and Sediment 2.9 Branch Whittemore

13 Sanitary sewer system failures system sewer Sanitary nutrients and Pathogens 2.9 Creek Whites

Storm sewer discharges sewer Storm alterations habitat and Sediment 3.1 Branch Sorghum

12 Urban runoff Urban alterations habitat and Sediment 2.0 Branch Loves

storm sewer discharges sewer storm

Pathogens 1.0 Branch Shasta

streambank modifications streambank alterations flow

11 and failures system sewer Sanitary

5.4 Branch Neeleys Creek, Gibson

and discharges sewer Storm and alterations habitat Pathogens,

habitat alterations habitat

28 Storm sewer discharges sewer Storm 4.4 Creek Sevenmile

Pathogens, nutrients, oxygen depletion and and depletion oxygen nutrients, Pathogens, 10 Storm sewer discharges and urban runoff urban and discharges sewer Storm alterations Habitat 17.6 Creek Ewing

animal feeding operations feeding animal alterations habitat

1.1 Branch Jo Cathy

and impoundments Upstream and sediment Nutrients, 9 Sanitary sewer system failures system sewer Sanitary Pathogens 2.7 Branch Drakes

Storm sewer discharges sewer Storm alterations habitat and Pathogens 1.2 Branch Finley

8 Land development Land loss vegetation riparian and Sediment 7.9 Creek Eaton

habitat alterations habitat

Storm sewer discharges sewer Storm 2.9 Branch Sims

urban runoff urban

Pathogens, nutrients, oxygen depletion and and depletion oxygen nutrients, Pathogens, 7

Pathogens and habitat alterations habitat and Pathogens 6.4 Creek Dry

and failures system sewer Sanitary

storm sewer discharges sewer storm

Nutrients, oxygen depletion and sediment and depletion oxygen Nutrients, 13.4 Creek Mill

and failures system sewer Sanitary 6 Storm sewer discharges sewer Storm loss vegetation riparian and Sediment 6.1 Creek Little

23 Storm sewer discharges sewer Storm Pathogens 1.3 Branch Pavillion

5 Storm sewer discharges sewer Storm alterations habitat and Sediment 2.0 Reservoir Cheatham to tributary Unnamed

22 Landfills solids dissolved and Metals 1.0 Reservoir Cheatham to tributary Unnamed

4 Grazing in riparian zones riparian in Grazing Pathogens 9.8 Creek Spring Blue

development and urban runoff urban and development

habitat alterations habitat

system failures, storm sewer discharges, land land discharges, sewer storm failures, system 13.6 Creek Browns

Land development Land Sediment 14.4 Creek Madison

Pathogens, nutrients, oil and grease, and and grease, and oil nutrients, Pathogens,

Industrial point source pollution, sanitary sewer sewer sanitary pollution, source point Industrial

undetermined sources undetermined

Storm sewer discharges and urban runoff urban and discharges sewer Storm alterations habitat and nutrients Pathogens, 5.8 Branch Springs Bosley Creek, Sugartree Pathogens 12.7 Creek Walkers Fork, Lumsley

and impoundments Upstream

discharges, and urban runoff urban and discharges, quarrying and modifications streambank

Pathogens, nutrients and habitat alterations habitat and nutrients Pathogens, 12.6 Creek Richland sediment and Pathogens 26.8 Creek Mansker Creek, Slaters

Sanitary sewer system failures, storm sewer sewer storm failures, system sewer Sanitary development, land discharges, sewer Storm

SUSPECTED SOURCES OF IMPAIRMENT OF SOURCES SUSPECTED IMPAIRMENT MILES SEGMENT STREAM # IMPAIRMENT OF SOURCES SUSPECTED IMPAIRMENT MILES SEGMENT STREAM #

MIDDLE CUMBERLAND WATERSHED: CUMBERLAND MIDDLE MIDDLE CUMBERLAND WATERSHED: CUMBERLAND MIDDLE

How our water is being affected being is water our How How our water is being affected being is water our How

water pollution in southeast Nashville. Nashville. southeast in pollution water

survival of this species is threatened by encroaching development and and development encroaching by threatened is species this of survival ALL PHOTOS BY BYRON JORJORIAN BYRON BY PHOTOS ALL

Photo by Alecia Hoback Alecia by Photo

throughout the year. the throughout long-term the However, Cumberland. the of tributary 28-mile-long

Dragon Boat Festival Boat Dragon

Photo by Michelle Barbaro Michelle by Photo

area river and stream clean ups ups clean stream and river area Nashville Crayfish is currently limited to the waters of Mill Creek, a a Creek, Mill of waters the to limited currently is Crayfish Nashville

helping reduce pollution and erosion. and pollution reduce helping

Nashville Crayfish Nashville

the annual Catfish Rodeo and numerous numerous and Rodeo Catfish annual the

. The range of the the of range The . shoupi) (Orconectes Crayfish Nashville endangered buffer, limiting how much runoff reaches streams directly and and directly streams reaches runoff much how limiting buffer,

Cumberland River Dragon Boat Festival, Festival, Boat Dragon River Cumberland

Among the species that reside in the Middle Cumberland is the federally federally the is Cumberland Middle the in reside that species the Among problems are often related, as riparian vegetation can act as a a as act can vegetation riparian as related, often are problems

resources. These include the annual annual the include These resources.

ECOLOGY ECOLOGY vegetation, as a result of development or overgrazing. These These overgrazing. or development of result a as vegetation,

appreciation and awareness of water water of awareness and appreciation

rural streams also suffer from loss of riparian (streamside) (streamside) riparian of loss from suffer also streams rural

local waterways, resulting in a greater greater a in resulting waterways, local

Inventory, a registry of exemplary scenic and recreational streams. recreational and scenic exemplary of registry a Inventory, over-fertilizing lawns or agricultural fields). Both urban and and urban Both fields). agricultural or lawns over-fertilizing

opportunities for residents to enjoy enjoy to residents for opportunities

lower reaches of Sycamore Creek are listed on the Nationwide Rivers Rivers Nationwide the on listed are Creek Sycamore of reaches lower and excess nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen (from (from nitrogen and phosphorus as such nutrients excess and

The Compact provides many many provides Compact The

though not necessarily pristine. Among the unimpaired streams, the the streams, unimpaired the Among pristine. necessarily not though

(from increased runoff from degraded or developed land) land) developed or degraded from runoff increased (from CONNECT >

swimming or fishing. The remaining streams are considered unimpaired, unimpaired, considered are streams remaining The fishing. or swimming waste and sewer or septic system failures), excess sediment sediment excess failures), system septic or sewer and waste

, making them potentially unsafe for for unsafe potentially them making , coli E. as such pathogens with contaminated are

(usually from animal animal from (usually coli E. as such pathogens by contaminated conserve water. conserve

considered impaired, with another 25% unassessed. Of the impaired streams, almost half half almost streams, impaired the Of unassessed. 25% another with impaired, considered impacts can be high. Both urban and rural streams are often often are streams rural and urban Both high. be can impacts and conditions soil improve to

rivers, including 67 miles of the Cumberland River. Of this 880 miles, roughly 28% is is 28% roughly miles, 880 this Of River. Cumberland the of miles 67 including rivers, The urban setting of the watershed means negative human human negative means watershed the of setting urban The farmers area with work and streams

Sycamore Creek Sycamore

The Middle Cumberland watershed contains approximately 880 miles of streams and and streams of miles 880 approximately contains watershed Cumberland Middle The development, restore impaired urban urban impaired restore development, its entire length within the Middle Cumberland watershed. watershed. Cumberland Middle the within length entire its

Basin. We promote sustainable sustainable promote We Basin. WATER QUALITY QUALITY WATER controlled impoundment, the Cheatham Lake reservoir, for for reservoir, Lake Cheatham the impoundment, controlled

resources throughout the Cumberland Cumberland the throughout resources has been heavily altered and now takes the form of a dam- a of form the takes now and altered heavily been has

proactive steps in protecting water water protecting in steps proactive

ua cii y. activit human is still relatively undeveloped. The Cumberland River itself itself River Cumberland The undeveloped. relatively still is

and the agricultural community to take take to community agricultural the and

by affected most been has result, a as and, populous most the is it as watersheds, basin’s area. Only the northwestern half of the watershed watershed the of half northwestern the Only area. basin’s

We work with developers, city planners planners city developers, with work We

its small size, however, the Middle Cumberland is one of the most important of the the of important most the of one is Cumberland Middle the however, size, small its the population of the basin, while making up just 3.6% of the the of 3.6% just up making while basin, the of population the

PROTECT > >

is the smallest of the 14 watersheds that make up the Cumberland River Basin. Despite Despite Basin. River Cumberland the up make that watersheds 14 the of smallest the is population of close to 600,000, it contains nearly a quarter of of quarter a nearly contains it 600,000, to close of population

with the Harpeth River, one of its primary tributaries. Covering just 647 square miles, it it miles, square 647 just Covering tributaries. primary its of one River, Harpeth the with populated of the 14 Cumberland River watersheds. With a a With watersheds. River Cumberland 14 the of populated

planting rain gardens. rain planting

draining to the Cumberland River from Old Hickory Dam downstream to its confluence confluence its to downstream Dam Hickory Old from River Cumberland the to draining

The Middle Cumberland watershed is by far the most densely densely most the far by is watershed Cumberland Middle The

to solutions policy from ranging

THE MIDDLE CUMBERLAND WATERSHED CUMBERLAND MIDDLE THE

encompasses the land land the encompasses THREATS TO THE WATERSHED THE TO THREATS

water quality improvement methods methods improvement quality water

elected officials. Together we share share we Together officials. elected

businesses, to neighborhoods and and neighborhoods to businesses,

organizations — from schools, to to schools, from — organizations

Middle Cumberland residents and and residents Cumberland Middle

The Compact works regularly with with regularly works Compact The

TEACH > >

RIVER COMPACT HELPS. COMPACT RIVER HOW THE CUMBERLAND CUMBERLAND THE HOW

What can I do to keep my streams and

rivers clean? (FROM ALEC -WHAT OTHER ECOLOGICAL ASPECTS SHOULD WE TALK ABOUT?)

• Leave a 35’ to 100’ no mow zone between streams and activity that disturbs, compacts or removes soil.

• Harvest rainwater from rooftops using rain barrels or larger cisterns. 37213

• Keep livestock fenced away from streams Brush Creek and rivers. • Don’t pour toxic household chemicals down the Marrowbone Lake

drain; take them to a hazardous waste center. tennessee , • Use hardy plants that require little or no watering, fertilizers or pesticides in your yard. • Do not over apply fertilizers. Consider using WELCOME TO THE MIDDLE nashville organic or slow release fertilizers instead. CUMBERLAND WATERSHED! |

• Recycle yard waste in a compost pile and use a 300 Of the 14 watersheds composing the

mulching mower. 17,914-square-mile Cumberland River basin

• Use pervious surfaces like wood, brick or gravel for suite in Tennessee and Kentucky, the Middle , decks and walkways; this allows rain to soak in and Cumberland is the smallest. It is also one of not run off. the most vulnerable. Encompassing most avenue • Never pour used oil or antifreeze into the storm of metropolitan Nashville, the watershed drain or the street. is especially susceptible to the negative effects of urban development and pollution.

• Pick up after your dog, and dispose of the waste victory in the toilet or the trash. two • Drive less — walk or bike; many pollutants in our The Cumberland River Compact waters come from car exhaust and car leaks. developed this brochure to describe the • Join watershed clean-up efforts and An overview of water quality of the Middle Cumberland restoration activities. Watershed. It is based on current water • Encourage greenways, conservation easements our water quality sampling collected and interpreted by the and other practices that protect the land around Tennessee Department of Environment our rivers and streams. and Conservation. • Become a member of the Cumberland River Compact and visit cumberlandrivercompact.org often to keep up to date.