TDEC Establishes Plateau Water Planning Partnership

At the request of Tennessee House of Representatives Speaker Cameron Sexton and local officials, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) is forming a Plateau Water Planning Partnership to assist communities, local governments and water utilities in the elevated tableland of the Upper Cumberland as they evaluate opportunities to strengthen their water supply for current and future water needs.

This initiative will engage citizens, local elected officials, water utilities, community groups, business, higher education, and conservation organizations in a collaborative effort to identify, assess and recommend best pathways to secure and sustain regional water resources that meet projected demands of the Upper Cumberland Plateau, anchored by Crossville. The partnership will consider the unique natural aquatic systems and assets in the area.

Specifically, the Plateau Water Planning Partnership (PWPP) will be responsible for:

• Developing comprehensive regional water supply recommendations for local officials, state agencies, and state legislators to consider that balance the needs of water users and economic growth while protecting the ecological health of river systems on the Plateau as they provide distinct habitat, outdoor recreation and destination attractions;
• Advising and providing recommendations to state agencies and legislative leadership on policies and actions to promote water system regionalization, drought resilience, habitat conservation, and water loss reduction; and
• Engaging with local communities, water utilities, industries, and conservation organizations to ensure broad participation in water system planning efforts.

"Cumberland County and the surrounding area have made significant strides toward thoughtful water supply solutions over the past few years," said TDEC Commissioner David Salyers. "TDEC is pleased to lead this process at the request of Speaker Sexton, and we stand ready to bring coordination, expertise, and support to help stakeholders focus on building relationships and identifying solutions that can best position communities of the Plateau to balance economic growth with conserving our important natural resources."

This approach will use a comparable framework to the Duck River Watershed Planning Partnership developed under Gov. Lee's Executive Order 108. The PWPP will apply lessons learned from that experience to advance community-based water supply and conservation resource planning in Cumberland County and adjacent areas.

TDEC will work with Speaker Sexton to identify partnership members from local, state, and federal government; higher education; economic development organizations; conservation organizations; plus, business and/or community groups. Members will represent:

• City of Crossville Mayor
• Cumberland County Mayor
• Tennessee House of Representatives representative
• Tennessee State Senate representative
• Comptroller's Office (Division of Local Government Finance) representative
• Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation representative
• Tennessee Department of Economic & Community Development and/or Upper Cumberland Development District representative
• Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency representative
• Tennessee Department of Agriculture representative
• The Nature Conservancy Tennessee Chapter representative
• Cumberland River Compact representative
• Tennessee Technological University representative

Next steps and key deliverables for Plateau Water Planning Partnership (PWPP):

• TDEC will name members in concert with Speaker Sexton by Dec. 10, 2026
• TDEC and Speaker Sexton will host PWPP kickoff meeting by Jan. 15, 2027
• PWPP Final Report & Recommendations delivered to local officials, state agencies, and legislative leadership by Nov. 22, 2027