Knox County Stormwater Management

Our intern Sydney visited South Doyle Middle School and Halls High School earlier this month to talk about benthic macroinvertebrates! These little critters can tell us a lot about stream water quality without ever stepping into a lab. These lessons help build the next generation of stream stewards. 🪱🦎🪳🐚

A big thank you to AmeriCorps member Archie with the Water Quality Forum for helping support this hands-on learning experience.

Are you an educator interested in having Knox County Stormwater visit your classroom? Email [email protected] to learn more.

Meet the Creek- Beaver Creek 🦫

Beaver Creek is home to the Beaver Creek Water Trail and continues to be an important recreational and environmental resource in Knox County. From paddling and wildlife habitat to water quality improvements and community cleanups, Beaver Creek plays an important role in connecting people to local waterways.🚣

Recent efforts, including the removal of the Coward Mill Dam, are helping improve water quality, restore fish passage, and support the long-term health of the creek and surrounding ecosystem. 🐟

Get Involved:
One of the watershed’s popular community events is the annual Beaver Creek Flotilla hosted by the Beaver Creek Kayak Club. Now in its 9th year, Flotilla brings the community together for a fun morning on the water while supporting Beaver Creek cleanup efforts.
Sign up for Beaver Creek Flotilla on May 30th : https://floatthebeaver.com/

Learn more about Beaver Creek here:
- https://watertrail.knoxcountytn.gov/
- https://legacyparks.org/about-us/current-projects/beaver-creek-water-trail/

Want to adopt a stream? Click the link below to submit a form to Adopt-A-Stream:
https://www.keepknoxvillebeautiful.org/adoptastream-application
Check out the Keep Knoxville Beautiful page to explore their event calendar and other programs:
https://www.keepknoxvillebeautiful.org

Thanks so much Hallsdale-Powell Utility District for keeping our streams clean! 💧✨🛶🗑️🐟

Recently, our team spent the day removing litter from a section of Beaver Creek as part of the Adopt A Stream program with Keep Knoxville Beautiful. Protecting our waterways goes beyond treatment plants and infrastructure- it also means helping keep litter and pollution out of the streams that flow through our community every day. We’re proud to support efforts that help keep our community and environment clean.

Knox County Stormwater was proud to participate in WaterFest 2026, joining a fabulous crew of community partners to help inspire the next generation of water stewards. Despite the wet weather, over 700 students were able to enjoy hands-on activities that brought the water cycle, water quality, and stream protection to life.
A huge thank you to the Water Quality Forum, Ijams Nature Center, volunteers, educators, and students who made this event such a success. Events like this remind us how powerful education can be in protecting our local waterways—today and for the future. 💧💙

A huge THANK YOU to Christian Academy of Knoxville for their incredible work through the Adopt-A-Stream Program! These students and educators rolled up their sleeves to care for Plumb Creek (part of the Beaver Creek Watershed!)
🧤 Trash cleanup
🌿 Invasive species removal
🌱 Live staking native plants
Their hard work helps improve stream health, reduce erosion, and protect water quality for the entire watershed. We’re proud to partner with schools that are turning stewardship into action—thank you for making a lasting impact on our local waterways!

🌎 Earth Day is about protecting what sustains us—and that includes our water💧

At Knox County Stormwater, we do a little bit of everything to care for the streams, rivers, and watersheds that support our communities every day.
From hands-on field work to education and environmental monitoring, our work helps protect water resources for people and wildlife alike.

🌱 What that looks like:

• Stream restoration projects
• Participating in community events like Ijams River Rescue & TN Tree Day
• Physical stream monitoring
• Addressing illicit discharges
• Chemical & bacteriological sampling
• Classroom & community education

This Earth Day, we’re celebrating the work that keeps Knox County’s water clean, resilient, and flowing, today and for future generations.

Meet the Creek-Roseberry Creek

Flowing through East Knox County on its way to the Holston River, Roseberry Creek connects important natural spaces like East Knox Park and a portion of the House Mountain State Natural Area, providing valuable habitat for wildlife and outdoor opportunities for the community.

The Roseberry Creek Watershed includes a mix of residential areas, farmland, and forested slopes. Because of this, soil health and land management play a major role in keeping the creek clean and stable. The Knox County Soil & Water Conservation District works with landowners to promote conservation practices that reduce erosion, manage runoff, and protect water quality throughout the watershed.

Want to help protect Roseberry Creek?

To find out if you qualify for Agricultural Best Management Practices: http://knoxcountyscd.com/

Read more about Roseberry Creek: https://www.knoxcounty.org/stormwater/rbc_watershed.php

Want to adopt a stream? Click the link below to submit a form to Adopt-A-Stream!
https://www.keepknoxvillebeautiful.org/adoptastream-application

Check out the Keep Knoxville beautiful page to explore their event calendar and other programs!
https://www.keepknoxvillebeautiful.org

Difficult erosion problems call for creative solutions. At this stormwater site, we’re trying a riprap alternative: concrete blocks linked with a polypropylene grid. The result? Durable protection that also allows grass to grow through, supporting both stability and water quality.

Don’t forget—rain barrel pickups are coming up soon, and numbers are limited!

🗓️ Order deadline: Sunday, April 12 at 11 PM
-Choose to pick up your barrel in Knoxville, Maryville, Oak Ridge, or Farragut.
-Pickup will be available April 24–25; specific days & times vary by location.
🌧️ Bonus: Proceeds from this year’s sale support WaterFest, helping keep this hands-on water education event FREE for 1,000+ local students.
👉 Order now and check pickup details before it’s too late!
https://www.rainwatersolutions.com/products/water-quality-forum

Our annual rain barrel sale is live, now until Sunday, April 12th at 11pm.

Why purchase a rain barrel?
• Provides soft water for watering plants, washing cars, and filling birdbaths or fish ponds
• Alleviates demand on municipal treatment systems
• Reduces polluted runoff
• Lowers water bills and, in some cases, stormwater charges
• Reduces flooding
• Recharges groundwater
(source: UT Extension)

Order online here:
https://www.rainwatersolutions.com/products/water-quality-forum

Pickup location options:

Knoxville:
Friday, April 24th 2026/ 8:30am to 4:00pm
UT Facilities Services, 2040 Sutherland Ave, Knoxville, TN 37921

Town of Farragut:
Friday, April 24th 2026/ 9:00am to 2:00pm
Saturday, April 25th 2026/ 9:00am to 12:00pm
Farragut Community Center, 239 Jamestowne Blvd, Suite 201, Farragut, TN 37934

City of Oak Ridge:
Friday, April 24th 2026/ 8:30am to 4:00pm
Saturday, April 25th 2026/ 8:00am to 12:00pm
Central Services Office 100 Woodbury Lane, Oak Ridge, TN 37830

Maryville:
Saturday, April 25th 2026/ 9:00am to 12:00pm
Sandy Springs Recycling Center, 715 Best Street, Maryville, TN 37803