WaterWorks!

Tennessee WaterWorks! began as a water quality program to develop and provide statewide education and resources to protect local rivers in the 95 counties of Tennessee. The focus of the program was to educate citizens about stormwater, including ways to prevent pollution and promote clean rivers and streams in Tennessee through community outreach events, developing a wide variety of print media resources, and creating and distributing both audio and video public service announcements. Originally it was administered through the Middle Tennessee State University’s (MTSU) Center for Environmental Education under the Biology Department.

Now, MTSU is designated a permitted entity as an MS4 (Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System) under the NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) Permit Program under the TN Dept of Environment and Conservation. WaterWorks is currently adopted and administered as part of the Environmental Health & Safety Department at MTSU and in partnership with the City of Murfreesboro Water and Sewer Department’s Stormwater Program under a  co-permit. Locally, we interact with our staff and students on campus, as well as businesses, civic groups, industry, schools and citizens in Murfreesboro to provide more specific outreach and projects such as stream cleanup and restoration efforts, tree plantings and stream buffer projects, neighborhood outreach, pollutant prevention pledges, best management practices, stakeholder engagement, civic and school outreach and many other efforts to protect the Stones River and its tributaries. 

In addition, many of the resources we have developed have been made available through our partnership with the Tennessee Stormwater Association to help other MS4s and watershed groups with their local outreach to ensure healthy streams and rivers across the state. 

Please visit our MTSU Stormwater Program site to see what local outreach opportunities we have available.