UTRR Tazewell Project

Contact Information

OSM/VISTA: Daniel Wilson
Supervisor: Carol Doss
Sponsoring Organization: Upper Tennessee River Roundtable
Address: PO Box 608, Tazewell, VA 24651
Phone: 276.988.2501
E-Mail: dfwilson3@gmail.com
Website: http://www.uppertnriver.org/
U.S. Congressional Districts: 9th
County: Washington and Tazewell

Background:

The Upper Tennessee River Roundtable (UTRR) is a nonprofit organization striving for clean water in the Upper Tennessee River watershed in Virginia. The watershed stretches from Lee County toward Wythe County in Southwest Virginia. The region is a hotspot for biodiversity. According to The Nature Conservancy, the upper Clinch River, including the Powell River tributary, surpass all other watersheds in the continental U.S. for both species richness and environmental degradation. The adjacent Holston River also ranks highly. The area has 48 imperiled and vulnerable fish and mussel species, including 21 that are federally listed as endangered or threatened. Other important imperiled species are bats, cave invertebrates, plants and amphibians. Some species are globally unique.

To address the importance of water quality in the area, the UTRR works with a wide variety of agencies and organizations. Currently, the UTRR is nearing completion of a Targeted Watershed Grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that also encompasses numerous projects in Tennessee. The Virginia projects in the TWG are quite varied. The UTRR is also managing other grants to install bioretention cells, alternative paving, stream bank restoration, and to promote the Assign-A-Highway program throughout Virginia.

UTRR has an OSM/VISTA serving the Clinch River, which contains some of the world’s most valuable and rare species of freshwater mussels and fish. The Clinch River contains 29 rare mussels and 19 rare freshwater fish. This river is the nation's leading hot spot of aquatic diversity, according to The Nature Conservancy's "Rivers of Life."

The Clinch River is a source of drinking water for the surrounding region. The waters are also used as a source of recreation for fishing and swimming. Some of Virginia's Scenic Roads parallel the river for a beautiful, leisure drive through the country.

There are different sources of pollution in the Clinch including agriculture, coal mining, and industry. Over the past decade several government agencies have implemented management and conservation practices that have helped to improve water quality. The OSM/VISTA assists the UTRR by helping get the community involved in projects to assist in the cleanup of the watershed as well as educating the people in the community about the environmental issues facing the watershed and its inhabitants.

Goals and Accomplishments:

The OSM/VISTA will help with these the following projects:

• Write grants for reclamation of gob piles located in Tazewell County.
• Educate people about Best Management Practices (BMPs) with the intention of people implementing BMPs on their private land.
• Complete the interpretive trail in Cedar Bluff that is part of a Water Quality improvement grant from the Department of Conservation and Recreation.
• Create video press releases and Public Service announcements that will promote and advertise the Upper Tennessee River Roundtable.

Partners and Contributors:

• Town of Tazewell
• Department of Environmental Quality
• The Nature Conservancy
• Virginia Department of Minerals, Mining, and Energy
• Department of Conservation and Recreation
• Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries
• US Fish and Wildlife Service
• Town of Cedar Bluff
• Canaan Valley Institute
• Virginia Tech
• Clinch River Headwaters Association