Division of Water Pollution Control

  Water Pollution Permits Data Viewer

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With more than 60,000 miles of rivers and streams and more than a half a million acres of lakes, Tennessee is blessed with a relative abundance of water. However, it is important that we all act as good stewards to maintain safe, clean water for many important uses. 

The State protects water quality under the authority of the federal Clean Water Act and the Tennessee Water Quality Control Act. These statutes provide a regulatory framework used by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) to set water quality standards; monitor and assess water quality conditions; and then deploy permitting systems for various activities that create discharges to surface and ground water.

 

  Water Quality Permits

Using water quality standards and monitoring data, TDEC issues National Pollution Discharge Elimination System permits to dischargers such as factories, municipal water treatment plants, mining operations, and large Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations. These permits limit the amount of allowable pollution discharge and require the use of technology to meet those limits. TDEC also issues state operating permits for non-discharging wastewater treatment and disposal systems and medium Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations.

Storm water runoff is a growing environmental concern that affects stream water quality and water treatment capacity in many communities. As a result, the EPA's National Pollution Discharge Elimination System allows TDEC to place limits on stormwater runoff from municipal storm sewer systems and eleven categories of industrial activity, including construction activity that disturbs one or more acres of land. Many stormwater pollution management activities are performed by other state agencies that work with TDEC, especially the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, which promotes farm practices to reduce erosion, nutrient and pesticide contamination.

TDEC issues Aquatic Resource Alteration Permits for alterations of streams, rivers, lakes, or wetlands - such as dredging, channelization, filling, or bridge construction or a 401 Water Quality Certification for those projects that require a 404 permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Alteration of a stream, river, lake, or wetland - such as dredging, channelization, filling, or bridge construction - requires an Aquatic Resource Alteration Permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 

The total amount of water available to Tennesseans also requires regulation. TDEC does this by issuing permits to withdraw water from any natural source, based on the amount the water body can support. The Tennessee Inter-basin Water Transfer Act gives TDEC the authority to regulate any withdrawal that is to be transferred from one river basin to another.