The Little Tennessee Watershed Association seeks to promote effective, onsite stormwater management practices throughout the watershed. We do this through landowner education, public presentations to planning boards and other local governmental entities, partnerships with our local Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD), and planning work with state agency partners.

Current stormwater projects include a landowner action guide and riparian buffer technical guidance document currently in the works. This work is made possible through a partnership with the NC Ecosystem Enhancement Program (EEP), which has just completed a Watershed Management Plan for the Franklin to Fontana Local Watershed Plan (LWP) area that includes detailed maps of possible stormwater projects within the Town of Franklin. This plan is the result of nearly four years of work with a Local Advisory Committee, which has developed specific education strategies needed to support on-the-ground watershed restoration and protection work in Macon and Swain Counties.

The Landowner Action Guide will be a colorful, easy to read booklet with visual examples and written explanations of water-friendly management guidelines for homeowners. The booklet will include general information about nutrient management, riparian buffer management, stormwater management, driveway maintenance, and other activities that impact stream and wetland resources. The Riparian Buffer Guide will be a detailed but easy to understand technical guidance document for the general public that explains the importance of riparian buffers and instructs landowners on best management practices. It will also include technical resources on how to enhance or replant a damaged buffer to empower landowners to take action themselves. Once completed, copies of these documents will be made available free to the public in both printed and electronic format.