Land Development and Watershed Planning

Program Overview

Watershed planning is a dynamic strategy and workplan for achieving water resource goals within a geographically defined watershed. The watershed planning process uses a series of cooperative steps to characterize existing conditions, identify and prioritize problems, define management objectives, and develop and implement protection or remediation strategies as necessary.

This initiative aims at developing an effective and integrated land management and monitoring approach for community stakeholders, which include local land owners, communities, authorities and resource managers, as they are required to make coherent, informed decisions regarding land resources and their future.

Watershed planning

Like many urban areas, Chattanooga is responding to growth and development pressures. There is thus a tremendous opportunity to further existing efforts in implementing smart growth
principles and policies that will help strengthen those attributes of the region so valued by residents. To meet these challenges, the Watersheds of the area will need to focus particular attention on:

1) preventing pollution from occurring,

2) reducing the amount of runoff and pollutants,

3) intercepting runoff and pollutants prior to entering the creeks, and

4) promoting public participation and enforcement.