Background Information

“I propose to begin with the Cumberland Plateau,” Governor Phil Bredesen said in his State of the State address, urging the citizens of Tennessee to begin protecting more of the state's natural resources. The Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee contains some of the largest remaining contiguous temperate deciduous forest in North America (Evans et al., 2002). The Plateau is one of the fastest growing regions in the state (Demographics 1999-2003), and with population increases can come urban sprawl, which leads to (1) a larger proportion of precipitation contributing to surface runoff, (2) a shortened lag time between precipitation and runoff, (3) an increase in peak flow volume and magnitude, (4) a decrease in base flow due to the reduced groundwater storage levels, (5) a decrease in infiltration volumes, and (6) degradation of surface water quality (Morgan et al., 2004). Urban sprawl may also increase stream bank erosion because, in the presence of paved areas, water flow quantity increases in a shorter time span, which leads to increased hydraulic energy (Goonetilleke et al., 2005). These altered flows within a watershed may cause environmental problems that affect downstream uses and cause habitat impairment that threatens biological diversity (Clark, 2000).