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News and events from Knox County Stormwater Management.
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Strong Streams Newsletter
Fall 2019
2019 Powell Station Flotilla
It was awesome! Kayaks, canoes, and paddleboards in every color and size launched onto Beaver Creek in Powell for the second year in a row to celebrate the community’s love of the Beaver Creek Water Trail. On Saturday, August 10, 2019, Mayor Glenn Jacobs officially started the Powell Station Flotilla by thanking the Beaver Creek Kayak Club, Enhance Powell, Legacy Parks and all the community businesses and nonprofits that turned out to support the event. Mayor Jacobs announced that Knox County has “big plans that will help turn Beaver Creek into one of the best recreational waterways in the Southeast!” Paddlers floated about 2.2 stream miles from the put-in just south of the Powell High School ballfields near Brickyard Road down to Clinton Highway where volunteers and Weigel’s employees were there to lend a hand and offer refreshments. Wood debris was removed from the creek to clear  space for the paddlers in the run up to the event. Thanks to the volunteers of the Beaver Creek Kayak Club and the tireless work of the Knox County Parks and Recreation to make that happen!
Don't Leaf it for Later

With October temperatures still lingering in high eighties, it can be hard to imagine that fall will ever come to Knoxville. However, yet again, we hold out hope that the Vols will turn it around, and that eventually this insufferable heat will subside and give into more reasonable weather.  Despite its seeming unlikelihood, one day in the next couple of weeks, we will wake up to yards covered in leaves. Piles and piles of leaves. With this vision in mind, it’s good to start planning ahead.
One option is to add those leaves to your compost pile. Fallen leaves provide a great source of carbon rich material. An often overlooked part of composting is that ideally you should have about a 2:1 ratio of brown material (carbon rich) to green material (nitrogen rich). By mixing household food scraps with grass clippings and fallen leaves your pile should yield rich usable dirt in about four to six weeks. Another option for yard waste is to just mow over the leaves and put the nutrients to work as a free lawn fertilizer. In any case, staying ahead of the leaves can lead to a less stressful and potentially greener spring.
For more information on getting started with a home compost see the links below:

https://learn.eartheasy.com/guides/composting/
http://www.compost-info-guide.com/
http://www.sodgod.com/composting/

John Sevier Living History Day

It isn't every day that you hear children joyously proclaiming the uses for a dried out donkey jaw, but Sunday, September 23rd from the cool of the shade by the spring house at Marble Springs Historic Site that’s exactly what we heard. It was all a part of the activities of John Sevier Living History Day. Marble Springs, also known as the Governor John Sevier Home, is a great resource for education on life in the late 18th century in this part of the country.  John Sevier Day is a celebration of local history featuring demonstrations, period costumes, and militia drills. Coincidentally, Marble Springs is also nestled in the Stock Creek Watershed, home to one of Knox County’s longest-running watershed initiatives. During the event, Knox County Stormwater Management provided a booth to inform visitors who live in the area about the cost-share funds for septic system repairs and management practices at local farms.
Children had fun learning about water quality with hands-on activities. These activities included a demonstration of the different types of pollution in stormwater runoff. It was a great day!

Looking for a way to get involved in your community? Knox County’s Adopt-A-Stream (AAS) program is a great option! The Adopt-A-Stream program is a citizen-based litter prevention program intended to clean up our local streams. You can grab your friends and family and commit to a stream clean-up twice a year. Or get your organization or company involved, as this is a great way to get your employees out from behind their desk.
So far this year, fifty-five Knox County AAS volunteers have contributed over 15 hours to collect a whopping 710 pounds of trash from our local streams! Just think of how much more we can get done with only a few more hours of hard work. Our CAC AmeriCorps Team runs the AAS program at Knox County and is happy to be of assistance if you have any questions. To find out more information please visit our Adopt-A-Stream website.
Farmers Take Stock of Water Quality

On Saturday, September 7, 2019, local farmers attended the 2019 Stock Creek Farmers’ Breakfast at Stock Creek Baptist Church. This breakfast was hosted by Knox County to introduce local farmers to the Stock Creek Watershed Initiative, the role of the Soil Conservation District in the Initiative, and to provide a forum for conversation and community building. Farmers from southern Knox County came together to celebrate the work that farmers do and to recognize the initiative’s water quality improvements within Stock Creek Watershed. Attendees enjoyed a delicious breakfast while listening local farmer Dr. DJ Krahwinkle discuss the management practices he has implemented on his farm with a nod toward protecting stream quality.
The Stock Creek Watershed Initiative had its inception in 2002 when high bacteria levels in Stock Creek caused it to be listed on a national list of waters deemed impaired or unable to meet fishable and swimmable uses. In order to reduce the levels of bacteria in Stock Creek, the initiative offers a cost-sharing program that helps residents repair failing septic systems, connect their properties to existing sewer lines, if available, or install agricultural best management practices on their farms. Knox County Stormwater is currently administering a third grant from the TN Department of Agriculture in the watershed. Ten failing septic systems have been repaired since March 2019. This accounts for half of the projected goal of 20 septic system repair projects before July 2021! Roy Arthur, Knox County Stormwater’s project manager for the Stock Creek Watershed Initiative, is hopeful that Stock Creek will soon be removed from the list because of improved water quality. According to Mr. Arthur, bacteria levels have been steadily decreasing in the Stock Creek Watershed, indicating that major water quality improvements have taken place in the area. After 17 years of hard work, this is welcome news for the residents of Stock Creek. Although major gains have been accomplished in the Stock Creek Watershed, Knox County Stormwater is still accepting applications to the Initiative’s cost-sharing program. Residents who are interested in applying to the program are encouraged to contact Roy Arthur at (865)755-9053 or roy.arthur@knoxcounty.org for more information!
Are You Prepared for a Flood?
 
As we wrap up Disaster Preparedness Month this September, we have a question for you. With flooding damages becoming more severe, and more importantly more expensive, have you considered purchasing a flood insurance policy? Did you know that in Knox County, all residents are eligible for flood insurance, whether your property is in the floodplain or not? And while it may seem unnecessary for someone outside the floodplain to have insurance, you should know that the average insurance claims show that only one inch of water can cost up to $25,000 in damages.  And all of those costs will be on you without a flood insurance plan. 
Have you heard the term “100-year flood?”  A lot of confusion surrounds this outdated term.  What is a 100-year flood? Why can multiple 100-year floods happen in a year? Am I at risk? To answer these questions, as well as a few others, Knox County AmeriCorps members created an educational video on the topic. Check it out on Youtube at https://youtu.be/J8P02Ds0d94
2019-2020 CAC AmeriCorps members serving at Knox County Stormwater.
From left to right: Adam Weinzapfel, Briana Gladhill, Connal Boyd, Ali Goodman.

AmeriCorner
 
The primary duty of the Knox County Stormwater CAC AmeriCorps members is to provide assistance to county staff in carrying out Knox County’s mission to provide our citizens with essential services, while exercising professionalism, enthusiasm, and creativity in the workplace. The AmeriCorps members gain experience in working with GPS technology, project development, engineering design, infrastructure and stream surveying, disaster preparation and public outreach. Here are introductions to the new Team!

Hey all! My name is Adam Weinzapfel.  I’m new to the area, coming from Jasper, IN, and I’m excited to find my way around.  I graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with my BS in environmental science and a minor in psychology.  With what I have learned so far, I hope to better understand and engage with your local community, both on an ecological and personal level. I wanted to use my CAC AmeriCorps service as an opportunity to both teach and learn about the local concerns, and develop informed solutions to your stormwater needs.  So if you’ve got a gripe, look for that tall guy at Knox County stormwater.

Hello! My name is Briana Gladhill, and I am serving with Knox County Stormwater as a CAC AmeriCorps member. I am originally from Los Angeles, CA, and I graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Arts in archaeological anthropology. As a student of archaeology, I was exposed to our species lengthy relationship to our environment. This peaked my interest in helping to reestablish our connection to nature through environmental stewardship and education. I can’t wait to help the Knox County Stormwater Team further protect our streams, lakes, and rivers through water quality initiatives and public engagement!

Hello! My name is Connal Boyd and this is my second year serving with AmeriCorps! I am originally from Maplewood, MN but have been living and working in the Knoxville Area for about a year. I initially came to Knoxville after graduating with a degree in geosciences from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, WA. I have always been interested in water quality and hope to continue my education by pursuing a graduate program in hydrology within the next year. In my free time I enjoy reading, hiking, and wandering through Knoxville’s many wonderful farmers’ markets!  I am excited to join the Knox County Stormwater team and am looking forward to what this year has in store!

Hey everybody, Ali Goodman here. I’m thrilled to be a part of Knox County’s Americorps Stormwater team.  I’m a Knoxville native that just graduated from the University of Tennessee with a degree in environmental studies. Initially planned to move elsewhere after graduation but I couldn’t bear to part with East Tennessee. I love this community and hope to spend the year serving it in any way possible. Apart from my interest in environmental stewardship, and sustainability I also enjoy the local music and food scene tremendously and can often be found with a snack in hand.
 
 
Visit our website at knoxcounty.org/stormwater to learn more about our programs and where to get your questions answered. Visit our Facebook page to keep up to date on all the latest happenings on the streams of Knox County.
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Knox County Stormwater Management 
205 W. Baxter Ave. 
Knoxville, TN 37917
Email: Stormwater@knoxcounty.org
Website: knoxcounty.org/stormwater/strong_streams
Phone: (865) 215-5540
Copyright © 2016 Knox County Stormwater, All rights reserved.


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stormwater@knoxcounty.org


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Knox County Stormwater Management · 205 W. Baxter Ave. · Knoxville, TN 37917 · USA

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