After a recent period filled with plenty of stormy weather and flood warnings across much of the state, and with even more rainfall to head our way in the coming days, I want to touch this week on the impacts that floodwaters and rainwater can have upon ecosystems and the environment as a whole.

How often do you think about rainwater when it’s not ruining your hair or homework as you run across campus? Do you think it has a major influence on Rocky Top and the rest of Knox County?

Knox County happens to cross four different watersheds within the Upper Tennessee River basin including Watts Bar Lake, Holston, the Lower French Broad and the Lower Clinch, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The University of Tennessee itself is nestled in the Watts Bar Lake watershed.

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