production and manufacturing processes. Industries within the region utilize over eight million gallons of surface water each day. 12 The region’s agricultural industr y relies on an additional two million gallons of surface and groundwater withdrawals each day to irrigate crops and water livestock. 13 Reliable sources of clean water are essential to regional growers’ ability to maintain healthy crops and livestock for local, national, and international markets.
rainfall to help replenish these resources against withdrawals for public supply. However, as the PlanET Region continues to grow, increasing demands upon these water resources and impacts of the developed landscape on water distribution within watersheds will threaten this already strained balance of supply and demand.
WATER RECREATION Casual enthusiasts and intrepid adventure-seekers alike find an abundance of opportunities in the PlanET Region for recreation on
SHARED WATER RESOURCES: SOCIAL VALUE The region’s mountain streams, winding rivers, scenic reser voirs, and groundwater resources benefit the health and welfare of East Tennesseans by providing a reliable drinking water supply and recreational networks that support active lifestyles and enhance quality of life.
HUMAN CONSUMPTION
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One of the most critical benefits water resources provide to society is supply for daily human use. Consumptive uses such as drinking, bathing, and other applications that bring water into physical contact with humans are fundamental to livable communities. Local sanitar y ser vices also depend on access to adequate quantities of healthy surface and groundwater resources to convey waste to treatment facilities. 14 East Tennessee receives plentiful
Canoeing on the Holston River