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water

Tennessee has 60 data centers. Nashville probably has more than you think.

By Caroline Eggers

November 20, 2025

Tennessee has 60 data centers, and more than a third of them are located in the greater Nashville area. 

Filed Under: Environment, WPLN News Tagged With: data center, fossil fuels, Meta, Tennessee Valley Authority, water, xAi

Low-head dams pose risks in Appalachia, but some people aren’t ready to see them go

By Pierce Gentry|Shepherd Snyder|Aprile Rickert

September 30, 2025

Water rushes over the top of a low-head dam.

State officials in Appalachia have labeled low-head dams as public safety hazards, with some even being responsible for deaths. But some community members are hesitant to have the fixtures removed.

Filed Under: Environment, WPLN News Tagged With: Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom, Army Corps of Engineers, dam, Tennessee Valley Authority, water

Re-air: Paddle, paddle, paddle! Making a splash in Tennessee’s scenic waterways

By Katherine Ruppelt

May 1, 2025

Listen

Summer is on the way! Swimming, kayaking, canoeing, paddle boarding, or fishing! There are so many ways to enjoy being on the water. Today, we’re talking with local water enthusiasts about their favorite ways to jump in — and what you need to know to get out there to join them — and stay safe. 

Filed Under: Programs Tagged With: water

PFAS-contaminated sewage sludge is spreading across Tennessee lands. The state might intervene.

By Caroline Eggers

August 14, 2024

Tennessee farmers and landowners are using treated sewage as fertilizer across open lands, and some of that sludge is contaminated with toxic chemicals.

Filed Under: Environment, WPLN News Tagged With: agriculture, PFAS, pollution, wastewater, water

Tennessee creates new office for ‘outdoor recreation’

By Caroline Eggers

August 8, 2024

A new office within Tennessee’s state environmental agency will be tasked with getting people outdoors.

Filed Under: Environment, WPLN News Tagged With: conservation, outdoors, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, water

NashVillager Podcast: Safe boating on Midstate lakes

By Nina Cardona

June 3, 2024

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How do Nashville-area lakes balance the thrills of water sports with safe boating practices?  Plus your local newscast for June 3, 2024.

Filed Under: NashVillager Podcast, WPLN News Tagged With: Army Corps of Engineers, Percy Priest Lake, water

A small Tennessee town’s sewage system might be polluting the Duck River

By Caroline Eggers

May 21, 2024

For at least three years, the wastewater treatment plant in Chapel Hill has repeatedly violated state pollution limits for treated sewage discharges.

Filed Under: Environment, WPLN News Tagged With: Duck River, pollution, sewage, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, wastewater, water

Vanderbilt University to host conference on the future of Tennessee’s land, water and energy

By Caroline Eggers

February 9, 2024

Vanderbilt University is hosting its second annual “State of the Environment” conference on Monday to address Tennessee’s biggest environmental challenges and opportunities.

Filed Under: Environment, WPLN News Tagged With: clean energy, conservation, fossil fuels, water, wetlands

Karst, small streams and many Tennessee wetlands will continue unprotected following latest ‘WOTUS’ lawsuit

By Caroline Eggers

April 13, 2023

A federal judge has blocked the Biden administration’s new rule aimed to define which of the nation’s waterways need protection.

Filed Under: Environment, WPLN News Tagged With: Environmental Protection Agency, pollution, water, WOTUS

Is PFAS in your water? Tennessee is promising answers soon on cancer-linked chemicals

By Caroline Eggers

March 22, 2023

We don’t know how much PFAS is in Tennessee because we have limited data, but state testing and a new EPA requirement may soon give us a better idea.

Filed Under: Environment, WPLN News Tagged With: chemicals, EPA, Military, PFAS, pollution, TDEC, water

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