What Is A Watershed?

A watershed consists of all the land that drains into a common body of water. Small watersheds combine to form big watersheds that eventually lead into the ocean! In Union County, all watersheds flow into the Gulf of Mexico. Land use such as agricultural, forestry, grazing, septic systems, recreational boating, urban runoff, construction, physical changes to stream channels, and habitat degradation all impact Union County’s water quality.

Union County is a part of the Upper and Lower Clinch River watershed. The majority of surface water is Norris Lake. Norris Lake is 52.9 square miles in surface area - the same size as 25,000 football fields! It is home to the Norris Dam, the first hydroelectric dam built in 1936 that currently provides electricity to the city of Knoxville.