"The Beauty is in the Journey." How true. Ilan Shamir's poem holds such timeless wisdom.
One way we can all "Stay Current" and "Be thoughtful to those downstream" is to pay attention to how our rivers, creeks and lakes fair on the 303d list, and make sure that problem areas are addressed.
Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation (TDEC) recently published its updated list of water quality impaired waterways around the state. The Harpeth River Watershed has several areas of concern.
According to the new 303d list, 72 river miles of the Harpeth (nearly 60%) have been deemed polluted or impaired, as well as 37% of the system's stream miles. This means that, with rivers and creeks combined, approximately 1/3 of the Harpeth River Watershed's waters are impaired and fail to meet water quality standards.
In order to help keep you informed, we've prepared a
FACT SHEET highlighting TDEC's latest 303d list release and instructions to help you use the state's interactive mapping site.
Be sure to check out this great tool, which helps citizens keep up to date on the streams, rivers and lakes they love the most.
TDEC's interactive mapping site makes it much easier to visualize the stream segments and indicates whether a stream or water body:
- has been assessed
- meets water quality standards
- is classified as impaired or as having high water quality
Instructions to use TDEC's Interactive Maps Portal
can be found at: http://tnmap.tn.gov/wpc/
The good news? It is absolutely possible to reverse the waters' impairment, if we all pull together. The quality of our river directly effects our quality of life.
If you would like to support the work of the Harpeth River Watershed Association (HRWA), please consider making a secure membership donation online with the option of a single payment or scheduled monthly payments as low as $10/month, Please help us increase our overall membership by sharing this email and its information about the river with your friends, colleagues and neighbors.
Happy meandering!
