City of Knoxville, TN
06/10/2026 | News release | Distributed by Public on 06/10/2026 15:13
City Investing in Water Quality, Flood Control
Knoxville City Council on Tuesday night authorized Mayor Indya Kincannon to move forward with an ongoing $3.1 million project to ease road-closing flash flooding on North Cherry Street.
Most of the funding, approved last summer, is going to replace a huge, rusted-out below-ground corrugated pipe with a 6-by-3-foot reinforced concrete box culvert that runs 1,000 linear feet along Cherry Street. But with Tuesday's vote, Adams Contracting is adding infrastructure that will capture debris and pollutants from stormwater and further prevent an area sinkhole from clogging.
The efforts are part of a larger overall $8.4 million effort citywide to remedy some of the worst flooding and water-quality problems. The majority of the funding came through federal American Rescue Plan Act grants several years ago.
None of the recent water-quality work is more dramatic or visible than improvements this spring at Rock City Ballpark in South Knoxville.
'Hospitable habitat'
Just a few months ago, Baker Creek at Rock City Ballpark was in pretty bad shape. The creek bed, vertical and eroded by frequent flash floodings, was overgrown with invasive plant species - honeysuckle and privet. As a result, the water was silted and uninviting to aquatic wildlife.
"Shamrock Construction and Remediation crews tackled 850 feet of streambed," City Stormwater Engineer Randall Whitehead said.
"They removed the invasive plants, which was almost all the vegetation. They graded the creek bed to a more natural state. In place of the invasives, they planted native grasses, shrubs and trees - such as switchgrass, silky dogwood, black willow, willow oak, American sycamore. The trees eventually will grow and shade the creek.
"Now, we're seeing darters, crawdads, salamanders and frogs. It's a much more hospitable habitat for wildlife - greater numbers, greater diversity."
The strategy is holistic, Whitehead said: Remove sediment from upstream creeks and tributaries, and downstream larger waterways will be cleaner and healthier.
The City invested about $600,000 in the Baker Creek remediation at Rock City.
Upgrades at Baum Drive, Mary Vestal
Other projects include flood control on Baum and Erin drives in West Knoxville and Goose Creek stream bank stabilization at Mary Vestal Park.
Work by APAC-Atlantic crews on Baum and Erin drives is close to being completed. This $618,000 City investment in drainage and stormwater improvements - including a small dry wetlands area - will better control flash flooding.
Meanwhile, a $693,000 creek restoration project at Mary Vestal Park by DR Phillips is similar to what was done at Rock City. Grading and native plantings along an 850-foot-long section of streambed will cut down on significant erosion and improve water quality.
In addition, a comprehensive $358,000 study of the Loves Creek watershed - with a focus on addressing flooding of Lake Ottosee in Chilhowee Park - is nearing completion. Plus, more than $350,000 in design work has been completed for a habitat-building streambed stabilization project at Holston River Park that, once implemented, will improve the river's water quality.
Stormwater system inventory
City Council on Tuesday authorized Mayor Kincannon to execute a $598,000 competitively-bid contract with Ardurra Group to help the City follow up on its first-ever holistic stormwater system inventory and assessment.
The multi-year $4.3 million inventory, which is wrapping up, mapped and evaluated the age and condition of about 45,000 pieces of infrastructure - catch basins, gutters, box culverts, junction boxes and 400 miles of stormwater pipes. Some of the older pre-World War II infrastructure wasn't even showing on any utility maps until now.
The inventory is a money-saving tool that will help City engineers prioritize upgrades. Proactively maintaining and replacing pipes on the front end is less expensive and less disruptive than reacting when a pipe fails.
Ardurra Group, the most responsive of three bidders, will be helping to evaluate the citywide stormwater inventory findings and identify funding options to support future maintenance and improvement.
Most of the funding, approved last summer, is going to replace a huge, rusted-out below-ground corrugated pipe with a 6-by-3-foot reinforced concrete box culvert that runs 1,000 linear feet along Cherry Street. But with Tuesday's vote, Adams Contracting is adding infrastructure that will capture debris and pollutants from stormwater and further prevent an area sinkhole from clogging.
The efforts are part of a larger overall $8.4 million effort citywide to remedy some of the worst flooding and water-quality problems. The majority of the funding came through federal American Rescue Plan Act grants several years ago.
None of the recent water-quality work is more dramatic or visible than improvements this spring at Rock City Ballpark in South Knoxville.
'Hospitable habitat'
Just a few months ago, Baker Creek at Rock City Ballpark was in pretty bad shape. The creek bed, vertical and eroded by frequent flash floodings, was overgrown with invasive plant species - honeysuckle and privet. As a result, the water was silted and uninviting to aquatic wildlife.
"Shamrock Construction and Remediation crews tackled 850 feet of streambed," City Stormwater Engineer Randall Whitehead said.
"They removed the invasive plants, which was almost all the vegetation. They graded the creek bed to a more natural state. In place of the invasives, they planted native grasses, shrubs and trees - such as switchgrass, silky dogwood, black willow, willow oak, American sycamore. The trees eventually will grow and shade the creek.
"Now, we're seeing darters, crawdads, salamanders and frogs. It's a much more hospitable habitat for wildlife - greater numbers, greater diversity."
The strategy is holistic, Whitehead said: Remove sediment from upstream creeks and tributaries, and downstream larger waterways will be cleaner and healthier.
The City invested about $600,000 in the Baker Creek remediation at Rock City.
Upgrades at Baum Drive, Mary Vestal
Other projects include flood control on Baum and Erin drives in West Knoxville and Goose Creek stream bank stabilization at Mary Vestal Park.
Work by APAC-Atlantic crews on Baum and Erin drives is close to being completed. This $618,000 City investment in drainage and stormwater improvements - including a small dry wetlands area - will better control flash flooding.
Meanwhile, a $693,000 creek restoration project at Mary Vestal Park by DR Phillips is similar to what was done at Rock City. Grading and native plantings along an 850-foot-long section of streambed will cut down on significant erosion and improve water quality.
In addition, a comprehensive $358,000 study of the Loves Creek watershed - with a focus on addressing flooding of Lake Ottosee in Chilhowee Park - is nearing completion. Plus, more than $350,000 in design work has been completed for a habitat-building streambed stabilization project at Holston River Park that, once implemented, will improve the river's water quality.
Stormwater system inventory
City Council on Tuesday authorized Mayor Kincannon to execute a $598,000 competitively-bid contract with Ardurra Group to help the City follow up on its first-ever holistic stormwater system inventory and assessment.
The multi-year $4.3 million inventory, which is wrapping up, mapped and evaluated the age and condition of about 45,000 pieces of infrastructure - catch basins, gutters, box culverts, junction boxes and 400 miles of stormwater pipes. Some of the older pre-World War II infrastructure wasn't even showing on any utility maps until now.
The inventory is a money-saving tool that will help City engineers prioritize upgrades. Proactively maintaining and replacing pipes on the front end is less expensive and less disruptive than reacting when a pipe fails.
Ardurra Group, the most responsive of three bidders, will be helping to evaluate the citywide stormwater inventory findings and identify funding options to support future maintenance and improvement.
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