The Sewanee Watershed

Unincorporated Sewanee is located on top of the Cumberland Plateau and obtains all of its drinking water from rainwater-fed reservoirs (Lake Jackson and Lake O'Donnell). However, historically, this community got its water from the plethora of springs that serve as the headwaters of four unique HUC-12 watersheds. The quality of the water that flows down the mountain has profound implications on the communities below us, and so the treatment of wastewater in Sewanee is of primary concern for thousands of persons who live in the valley.

As seen in the map above, Sewanee straddles Upper Crow Creek, Upper Battle Creek, Boiling Fork Creek, and Mud Creek watersheds. Once these streams flow off the mountain, they either enter the Lower Crow Creek or Upper Elk watershed. While Lower Crow Creek first flows into Guntersville Lake, both watersheds eventually drain into the Tennessee River, making their way to the Mississippi River and ultimately into the Gulf of Mexico.

To learn more about Sewanee’s Watersheds, visit the Sewanee Headwater’s Initiative website.