The Tennessee Department of Agriculture has awarded $205,500 in grant funding to Knox County, the Town of Farragut, and City of Knoxville to support projects by homeowners and commercial property owners to improve water quality in the Turkey Creek Watershed.

Grant recipients may receive up to 75 percent cost-share funding for projects, which can include: detention pond retrofits; septic system repairs; residential rain garden installations; grassy swales and porous pavers; and streambank stabilization and planting.  

Projects will be selected based on how much they improve water quality. The deadline to submit project proposals for funding is Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024.

Turkey Creek is on Tennessee’s 303(d) list of impaired streams for sedimentation and E. coli bacteria. According to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), the primary cause of the impairment in the Turkey Creek Watershed is its location in a high-density urbanized area, where sediment and E. coli can easily wash into waterways.

All homeowners and businesses located in the Turkey Creek Watershed – which covers more than 17,000 acres extending northeast above I-40 past Cedar Bluff, southeast roughly along Northshore Drive, and southwest to the Knox County line – are encouraged to apply for project funding. To determine if you live in the Turkey Creek watershed, visit KGIS.org and select the “Watersheds” map under “Other Maps.” 

Residents or property owners within Knoxville city limits who are interested in applying for funding should contact Patrick Kontovich, City of Knoxville Stormwater Engineering, at 865-215-2890. 

Knox County residents should contact Kaitlyn Klema with Knox County Stormwater at 865-215-5800.