Sweetwater Creek (Tennessee River tributary) facts for kids

Sweetwater Creek is a stream in eastern Tennessee. It flows into the Tennessee River system. This creek runs through McMinn, Monroe, and Loudon counties.

The creek starts in McMinn County. It then flows northeast for about 29.3 mi (47.2 km). It passes through Monroe and Loudon counties. Finally, it enters Watts Bar Lake in Loudon County. This is near the city of Loudon.

Sweetwater Creek flows through the city of Sweetwater. It provides most of the drinking water for this city. Other towns like Niota and Philadelphia are also along the creek. A smaller stream called Bacon Creek flows into Sweetwater Creek.

What's in a Name? The Story of Sweetwater

The name "Sweetwater" likely comes from the excellent quality of water found in the springs along the creek. People thought the water tasted "sweet."

A local historian named W.B. Lenoir once made up a different story. In the 1910s, he claimed the name came from a Cherokee phrase, "Soitee Woitee." He said it meant "happy homes." However, he later admitted that this story was not true.

How Does Sweetwater Creek Flow?

Sweetwater Creek drains an area of about 38,844 acres. This is also known as its watershed. Much of this area has carbonate bedrock, like dolomite and limestone.

You can find sinkholes and other features typical of karst landscapes here. In these areas, groundwater and the stream often mix. A lot of the creek's water comes from groundwater, especially when it's dry.

Measuring the Creek's Flow

From 1964 to 1981, scientists measured the stream's flow. They used gauging stations located downstream from Sweetwater. The amount of water flowing varied a lot.

The average flow each year was between 35 and 83 cubic feet per second. This is like 86 to 203 million liters per day. The lowest flow recorded was 4.3 cubic feet per second in 1980. The highest was 887 cubic feet per second in 1973. During a very dry year like 1980, about three-quarters of the creek's water came from groundwater.

How People Use Sweetwater Creek

Sweetwater Creek is very important for the city of Sweetwater. It provides most of the public water supply. In 2000, the city used about 810,000 gallons (3.1 million liters) of water daily. This amount was expected to increase to over 1.1 million gallons (4.2 million liters) by 2030.

The city also gets about 540,000 gallons (2 million liters) of groundwater daily from a spring. Because the city uses so much water, especially during dry times, there have been concerns. People worry that there might not be enough water for the city's future needs.

Land Use and Water Quality

Most of the land around Sweetwater Creek is either forest (42%) or used for farming (40% pasture and hay land, 12% cropland). In 2002, many farm animals lived in the watershed. This included beef cows, milk cows, horses, hogs, sheep, and many poultry animals.

About 6% of the watershed is used for homes and cities. In 1997, about 3,640 people in the area used septic systems. The city of Sweetwater also releases treated water from its sewage treatment plant into the creek.

Unfortunately, the creek's water quality is not always good. It has higher levels of certain bacteria and chemicals. These issues are caused by things like:

• Water from sewage treatment plants.
• Animals grazing and living in concentrated feeding areas.
• New buildings and land development.
• Changes made to the creek's natural path, called channelization.