An Overview of Our Water Quality
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often to keep up to date. to up keep to often cumberlandrivercompact.org visit and Compact Become a member of the Cumberland River River Cumberland the of member a Become • and Conservation. and our rivers and streams. and rivers our Tennessee Department of Environment Environment of Department Tennessee and other practices that protect the land around around land the protect that practices other and our water quality water our Encourage greenways, conservation easements easements conservation greenways, Encourage • sampling collected and interpreted by the the by interpreted and collected sampling Watershed. It is based on current water water current on based is It Watershed. restoration activities. restoration water quality of the Middle Cumberland Cumberland Middle the of quality water of overview An Join watershed clean-up efforts and and efforts clean-up watershed Join • developed this brochure to describe the the describe to brochure this developed waters come from car exhaust and car leaks. car and exhaust car from come waters The Cumberland River Compact Compact River Cumberland The Drive less — walk or bike; many pollutants in our our in pollutants many bike; or walk — less Drive • TWO in the toilet or the trash. the or toilet the in Pick up after your dog, and dispose of the waste waste the of dispose and dog, your after up Pick VICTORY • effects of urban development and pollution. and development urban of effects is especially susceptible to the negative negative the to susceptible especially is drain or the street. the or drain Never pour used oil or antifreeze into the storm storm the into antifreeze or oil used pour Never • of metropolitan Nashville, the watershed watershed the Nashville, metropolitan of AVENUE the most vulnerable. Encompassing most most Encompassing vulnerable. most the not run off. run not Cumberland is the smallest. It is also one of of one also is It smallest. the is Cumberland decks and walkways; this allows rain to soak in and and in soak to rain allows this walkways; and decks , in Tennessee and Kentucky, the Middle Middle the Kentucky, and Tennessee in Use pervious surfaces like wood, brick or gravel for for gravel or brick wood, like surfaces pervious Use SUITE • 17,914-square-mile Cumberland River basin basin River Cumberland 17,914-square-mile mulching mower. mulching Of the 14 watersheds composing the the composing watersheds 14 the Of 300 Recycle yard waste in a compost pile and use a a use and pile compost a in waste yard Recycle • | CUMBERLAND WATERSHED! CUMBERLAND organic or slow release fertilizers instead. fertilizers release slow or organic NASHVILLE Do not over apply fertilizers. Consider using using Consider fertilizers. apply over not Do • WELCOME TO THE MIDDLE MIDDLE THE TO WELCOME watering, fertilizers or pesticides in your yard. your in pesticides or fertilizers watering, Use hardy plants that require little or no no or little require that plants hardy Use • , TENNESSEE center. waste hazardous a to them take drain; Don’t pour toxic household chemicals down the the down chemicals household toxic pour Don’t • Marrowbone Lake Marrowbone and rivers. and Brush Creek Brush streams from away fenced livestock Keep • 37213 barrels or larger cisterns. larger or barrels rain using rooftops from rainwater Harvest • or removes soil. removes or streams and activity that disturbs, compacts compacts disturbs, that activity and streams between zone mow no 100’ to 35’ a Leave • SHOULD WE TALK ABOUT?) TALK WE SHOULD (FROM ALEC -WHAT OTHER ECOLOGICAL ASPECTS ASPECTS ECOLOGICAL OTHER -WHAT ALEC (FROM rivers clean? rivers keep my streams and and streams my keep What can I do to to do I can What HOW THE CUMBERLAND RIVER COMPACT HELPS. TEACH> The Compact works regularly with Middle Cumberland residents and organizations — from schools, to businesses, to neighborhoods and elected officials. Together we share water quality improvement methods THE MIDDLE CUMBERLAND WATERSHED encompasses the land THREATS TO THE WATERSHED ranging from policy solutions to draining to the Cumberland River from Old Hickory Dam downstream to its confluence The Middle Cumberland watershed is by far the most densely planting rain gardens. with the Harpeth River, one of its primary tributaries. Covering just 647 square miles, it populated of the 14 Cumberland River watersheds. With a is the smallest of the 14 watersheds that make up the Cumberland River Basin. Despite population of close to 600,000, it contains nearly a quarter of PROTECT> the population of the basin, while making up just 3.6% of the its small size, however, the Middle Cumberland is one of the most important of the We work with developers, city planners watersheds, as it is the most populous and, as a result, has been most affected by basin’s area. Only the northwestern half of the watershed and the agricultural community to take human activit y. is still relatively undeveloped. The Cumberland River itself proactive steps in protecting water has been heavily altered and now takes the form of a dam- resources throughout the Cumberland WATER QUALITY controlled impoundment, the Cheatham Lake reservoir, for Basin. We promote sustainable The Middle Cumberland watershed contains approximately 880 miles of streams and its entire length within the Middle Cumberland watershed. development, restore impaired urban Sycamore Creek rivers, including 67 miles of the Cumberland River. Of this 880 miles, roughly 28% is The urban setting of the watershed means negative human streams and work with area farmers considered impaired, with another 25% unassessed. Of the impaired streams, almost half impacts can be high. Both urban and rural streams are often to improve soil conditions and are contaminated with pathogens such as E. coli, making them potentially unsafe for contaminated by pathogens such as E. coli (usually from animal conserve water. swimming or fishing. The remaining streams are considered unimpaired, waste and sewer or septic system failures), excess sediment though not necessarily pristine. Among the unimpaired streams, the (from increased runoff from degraded or developed land) CONNECT> lower reaches of Sycamore Creek are listed on the Nationwide Rivers and excess nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen (from The Compact provides many opportunities for residents to enjoy Inventory, a registry of exemplary scenic and recreational streams. over-fertilizing lawns or agricultural fields). Both urban and local waterways, resulting in a greater rural streams also suffer from loss of riparian (streamside) appreciation and awareness of water vegetation, as a result of development or overgrazing. These ECOLOGY resources. These include the annual Among the species that reside in the Middle Cumberland is the federally problems are often related, as riparian vegetation can act as a Cumberland River Dragon Boat Festival, endangered Nashville Crayfish (Orconectes shoupi). The range of the buffer, limiting how much runoff reaches streams directly and the annual Catfish Rodeo and numerous Nashville Crayfish Nashville Crayfish is currently limited to the waters of Mill Creek, a helping reduce pollution and erosion. Photo by Michelle Barbaro area river and stream clean ups 28-mile-long tributary of the Cumberland. However, the long-term Dragon Boat Festival throughout the year. Photo by Alecia Hoback survival of this species is threatened by encroaching development and ALL PHOTOS BY BYRON JORJORIAN water pollution in southeast Nashville. MIDDLE CUMBERLAND WATERSHED: How our water is being affected MIDDLE CUMBERLAND WATERSHED: How our water is being affected # STREAM SEGMENT MILES IMPAIRMENT SUSPECTED SOURCES OF IMPAIRMENT # STREAM SEGMENT MILES IMPAIRMENT SUSPECTED SOURCES OF IMPAIRMENT Storm sewer discharges, land development, Sanitary sewer system failures, storm sewer Slaters Creek, Mansker Creek 26.8 Pathogens and sediment Richland Creek 12.6 Pathogens, nutrients and habitat alterations 1 streambank modifications and quarrying 19 discharges, and urban runoff Upstream impoundments and Lumsley Fork, Walkers Creek 12.7 Pathogens Sugartree Creek, Bosley Springs Branch 5.8 Pathogens, nutrients and habitat alterations Storm sewer discharges and urban runoff 2 undetermined sources 20 Industrial point source pollution, sanitary sewer Pathogens, nutrients, oil and grease, and 3 Madison Creek 14.4 Sediment Land development Browns Creek 13.6 system failures, storm sewer discharges, land 21 habitat alterations development and urban runoff 4 Blue Spring Creek 9.8 Pathogens Grazing in riparian zones 22 Unnamed tributary to Cheatham Reservoir 1.0 Metals and dissolved solids Landfills 5 Unnamed tributary to Cheatham Reservoir 2.0 Sediment and habitat alterations Storm sewer discharges 23 Pavillion Branch 1.3 Pathogens Storm sewer discharges 6 Little Creek 6.1 Sediment and riparian vegetation loss Storm sewer discharges Sanitary sewer system failures and Mill Creek 13.4 Nutrients, oxygen depletion and sediment 24 storm sewer discharges Sanitary sewer system failures and 7 Dry Creek 6.4 Pathogens and habitat alterations Pathogens, nutrients, oxygen depletion and urban runoff Sims Branch 2.9 Storm sewer discharges 25 habitat alterations 8 Eaton Creek 7.9 Sediment and riparian vegetation loss Land development 26 Finley Branch 1.2 Pathogens and habitat alterations Storm sewer discharges 9 Drakes Branch 2.7 Pathogens Sanitary sewer system failures Nutrients, sediment and Upstream impoundments and Cathy Jo Branch 1.1 27 habitat alterations animal feeding operations 10 Ewing Creek 17.6