Aquatic Resource Preservation

Specific Judging Considerations

• To recognize the organized and sustained efforts of individuals, businesses, organizations, or agencies that improve or protect an aquatic ecosystem in Tennessee
• Effectiveness in the long-term protection and enhancement of the aquatic ecosystem
• Impact to the biological integrity and diversity of the aquatic ecosystem
• Integrated effort relating to adjacent land use

2007 Winner of Aquatic Resource Preservation

Winner – Tennessee Department of Agriculture Sevenmile Creek – Ellington Restoration Project (Davidson County)
The Sevenmile Creek Restoration project encompasses the installation of seven storm water retention structures, which capture over 90 percent of all the rainfall and runoff that exists on the Ellington campus, as well as the grading and planting of native shrubs and flowers on approximately 1,000 linear feet of vertical and eroding stream banks. Forty acres of the floodplain on campus were placed in a perpetual conservation easement and six parking lot filtration basins were designed and constructed with porous concrete travel lanes. Rain barrels were installed, 25.5 acres of previously mowed lawns or pastures have been converted to native meadows or native storm water structures and 7,600 feet of primitive trails were created. This project represents an effort to retrofit a state-owned campus with the latest in low impact development practices, bioretention technology, aquatic habitat restoration and other progressive techniques to restore a 303(d) listed impaired stream to a higher state of water quality.