The Watershed

The Tennessee River watershed encompasses the Tennessee River and its tributaries, including the two headwater tributaries: the Holston River and French Broad River. The main stem of the Tennessee River begins near Knoxville at the convergence of the headwaters.

Tennessee Riverkeeper protects the main stem of the Tennessee River and the tributaries that drain into it below the convergence of the Holston and French Broad Rivers near Knoxville.

What Is A Watershed?

A watershed is all the land area that drains into a particular body of water, such as a creek, fork, river, swamp, wetland, lake, bay, estuary, gulf, or ocean. A watershed includes not only the streams and rivers that convey the water but also all the land that drains into them. Watersheds for different rivers are separated by major geologic features such as ridges or mountains. Other names for a watershed are drainage area, drainage basin, and river basin.

No matter where you are, you are in a watershed, so be a good steward and don't spill or dump toxic materials and trash on the ground. When it rains pollutants either make it into groundwater which is connected to surface water, or they flow into nearby surface waters. Be a good neighbor - we all live downstream!