Tennessee Clean Water Network
Information
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TCWN Phone
number: Address: PO Box 1521 Knoxville, TN 37901
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TCWN Staff
| Renee Hoyos | Executive Director | [email protected] |
| Kim Ransom |
Policy Director |
[email protected] |
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Diannah Miller |
Development Director | [email protected] |
Our Statement of Principles
Water is the common thread that ties all life together. Maintaining
clean water protects the health of our families and provides numerous
recreational opportunities while sustaining plants, animals, and aquatic
life. While Tennessee's waters are among our most precious natural resources,
many have been degraded for far too long. They continue to be polluted
by toxic and other pollutants from industry, sewage plants, runoff, and
other sources. Critical aquatic ecosystems continue to be lost or degraded,
and the health of our children remains threatened.
The undersigned organizations have come together with the common purpose
of protecting and recovering the watersheds in our state. We recognize
that, as we all exchange information, share resources and join together
for advocacy of common purpose, the Tennessee Clean Water Network will
be better able to reach this goal. The Tennessee Clean Water Network (TCWN) grew out of the first state-wide clean water conference, which was held
in March, 1998. At this conference, the Foundation for Global Sustainability (FGS),
the Tennessee Environmental Council
(TEC), and the National Clean Water Network convened representatives from
river and watershed associations and other environmental organizations
across the state. The conference began with an educational overview of
Tennessee's clean water programs with specifics about how to make the
system work better. Conference attendees, representing approximately 25
organizations throughout the state, strategized about how to most effectively
achieve the goal of clean water and formed working groups to address special
issues of concern. Some topics of discussion included Tennessee's new
watershed permitting procedures, point source and non-point source pollution,
wetlands, the impact of concentrated animal feeding operations on water
quality, and the impact of development and road construction on water
quality. At the conference, TEC and FGS presented a proposal to form the Tennessee Clean Water Network. The
purpose of the TCWN is to help multiply the effectiveness of river and
watershed associations in Tennessee and strengthen the collective capacity
of clean water groups across the state to achieve cleaner and safer waters.
Numerous organizations across the state have been successful at either
protecting individual waterbodies or creating support for better clean
water policies. There exists, however, a need for greater communication,
networking and coordination between all of Tennessee's clean water activists
to better protect our state's waters. The TCWN was established to fulfill
this need. The two primary goals of the TCWN are 1) to facilitate improved communication
and information sharing among Tennessee clean water activists for more
effective policy and Clean Water Act implementation at the state level;
and 2) to provide technical resources and training to Tennessee's clean
water activists. These goals are geared to help ensure meaningful and
engaged participation in the clean up and protection of our state's waters
by achieving the following:
Strategic Planning Meeting, November 1999
Front, L to R: Rick Parrish, Danielle Droitsch, Marianne Wilson,
Sharon Behar.
Back, L to R: Nancy Brannon, Barry Sulkin, Brenda Hart, Rita
Harris, Don Elder, John McFadden, Philip Young. A Little History
Rick Parrish and Barry Sulkin, TCWN stalwarts
Our Goals
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Promote a greater base of knowledge by all organizations – small and large – about Clean Water Act policies and enforcement at the state level. |
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Educate organizations about how to address important water quality problems such as non-point source pollution, permit enforcement, concentrated animal feeding operations, drinking water, wetlands, and other issues of clean water. |
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Build support for good clean water policies and strengthen the capacity for statewide organizations to derail those measures that would weaken clean water policies. |
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Provide technical support, education, assistance, and most importantly moral support to new groups forming to protect individual watersheds in addition to those already in existence. |
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Provide a vehicle for networking between organizations, in order to answer tough questions, get advice, and gather needed support to ensure the protection and restoration of individual watersheds. |
Our TMDL Workshop, Jefferson County, October 1999
Our Current Projects
THIS SECTION IS CURRENTLY UNDER
CONSTRUCTION
Tennessee Clean Water Network
P.O. Box 1521
Knoxville, TN 37901
[email protected]
