More than half of all participants (56%) believe that the quality of the river will be worse in five years. Comments by participants reflect this growing sense of concern. “Ten years ago,” one respondent wrote, “I canoed the Little River for the first time. It was a part of Blount County that I had never seen - kingfishers, ducks, quiet waters. Since then I realize what a jewel we have, and like a rare and valuable gem, we must protect it.”
Another lamented, “New houses keep going up like mushrooms along spaces that should be public and protected.”
Despite these concerns, residents appear to take great pride in the river and understand its importance to the community. Ninety-four percent stated that the Little River had improved their quality of life and 96% of those polled felt the river gave them “unique and fulfilling recreational opportunities.” While 63% of those surveyed believed that drinking water was the main value of the river, 92% agreed that the Little River was an important economic resource for Blount County, and over half (56%) stated the river had given them employment opportunities.
During the public workshops, participants were asked to complete various surveys.
Survey results indicate increasing concern for the rate of population growth and land development in Blount County. In one poll, 43% of respondents cited land development as the leading cause of pollution in the watershed; 31% of residents blamed leaky septic systems as the main pollution source; 15% pointed to soil erosion, while just 9% pointed to transportation related sources, such as parking lot and highway run-off. Interestingly, just 6% of participants cited agricultural waste as the primary source of water pollution.
Other results are equally interesting.
Seventy-nine percent of participants stated that population growth and land development is “a serious problem.” Eighty-five
percent of respondents agreed that developed land and paved surfaces impact
water quality, and 91% felt that conflicts exist between residents, businesses,
and other users of the river.
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