The Watershed Association of the Tellico Reservoir
The Watershed Association of the Tellico Reservoir (WATeR) supports policies and projects that protect and improve the environment in and around Tellico Reservoir.
The association is non-profit and non-partisan. The focus is on issues, policies, and practices that promote clean air, water, and natural habitat so that humans can live, work, and play in harmony with native plants and animals as well as with each other. The association strives to work cooperatively with governmental agencies and private organizations with similar goals and responsibilities for environmental protection and appropriate quality economic growth. Public education and demonstration projects are emphasized to make people aware of environmentally friendly practices that affect the watershed. WATeR strives to involve all stakeholders and to represent everyone interested in preserving and enhancing the environmental quality of the Tellico Reservoir Watershed.
Trails: We maintain 31 miles of the East Lakeshore Trail
Reservoir: We sample the lake periodically for chemical and bacterial contaminates and for phytoplankton effects on clarity.
Watershed: We perform studies of streams and seek grants to remediate problems identified.
Industrial outfalls: We monitor the outfalls for compliance with permits.
Education: We inform the public on the state of the lake, current and future threats.
Officers
David Flanagan, President: Retired International Automotive industry executive. BME, Kettering University; MBA, U. of Michigan. Lives in Tellico Village, TN. davidflanagan@tellicowater.org
Russ House, Vice President: Retired quality assurance professional. Bachelor of Science, University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Resides in Tellico Harbor, Vonore, TN. Contact: russahouse@tellicowater.org
Mollie Lenoir May, Treasurer: Retired Pharmacist. Board Member of Keep Monroe County Beautiful. BS, U. of Georgia; Doctor of Pharmacy, Mercer University. Lives on her family farm in Fork Creek. treasurer@tellicowater.org
Sally Leonhard, Secretary: received her M.D. from the University of Miami in 1974, and a J.D. from the University of Maryland in 1993. She is Board Certified in Internal Medicine. For most of her career, Sally was the CEO of a Community Health Center in Southern Maryland. Sally has completed certification as a Tennessee Naturalist and was active in the Master Gardener program in Maryland before moving to Tennessee. Sally is a member of the Garden Club. Sally serves on the Finance Committee of the Church of the Resurrection. Lives in Tellico Village, TN. sallyleonhard@tellicowater.org
Board of Directors
Bill Atkinson: retired NJ Registered Environmental Health Specialist, Gloucester County NJ. He is chair of the Water Quality Improvement Committee. BS Environmental Science, Rutgers University. Lives in Tellico Village, TN. watkinson@tellicowater.org
David Barnes: Retired HVAC industry executive. Bachelor in Engineering, U. of Tennessee. Lives in WindRiver, TN. davidbarnes@tellicowater.org
Jan Berry: retired from Oak Ridge National Laboratory where she managed the Tokamak Cooling Water System and other projects addressing energy efficiency and waste management. She earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Chemical Engineering. She is an active volunteer in Citizens’ Climate Lobby, whose mission is to “build the political will to act on climate change”, Braver Angels, whose mission is to “bring Americans together to bridge the partisan divide and strengthen our democratic republic”, and the American Nuclear Society (ANS), whose mission is to “embrace the nuclear sciences and technologies for their vital contributions to improving people’s lives and preserving the planet”. She lives in Foothills Pointe. janberry@tellicowater.org
Jeff Rauch: Retired from a successful sales career in the Food industry. He serves on the board of T-BART and is a member of the Tellico Village Fishing Club. BS, Indiana University. Jeff is a resident of Tellico Village. Jeffrauch@tellicowater.org
Maria Hinkley: Retired Litigation Partner, Chief Diversity Officer, Sidley Austin LLP, New York, NY. BS, Syracuse University; JD, Albany Law School. Lives in WindRiver, TN. maria.hinkley@tellicowater.org
Water Quality Improvement Committee
Bill Atkinson, Chairman: Retired NJ Registered Environmental Health Specialist, Gloucester County NJ. BS Environmental Science, Rutgers University. Lives in Tellico Village TN. email: quality@tellicowater.org
Cecil Clontz: Retired systems architect primarily in wireless and telecommunications. A self-professed Geek, his technical interests lie in electronic design, software, CAD, and additive/subtractive fabrication. Cecil serves on the T-BART Operations Team as webmaster and T-BART Board as the Director of Technology and Info systems. Lives in Tellico Village TN
Richard Harris: Retired Pediatric Hematology/Oncology/Bone Marrow Transplant physician, Cincinnati Children's Hospital. College and Med School, University of Virginia. Lives near Tellico Plains. Active member of Benton MacKaye Trail Association and Cherokee Hiking Club. Does lots of trail maintenance.
Garry Lucas: retired fisheries biologist, Mississippi Dept. of Wildlife, Fisheries, & Parks. M.S. Fisheries Management, Auburn University. Lives in Tellico Village TN
Randy Morse: Retired biology teacher and biotech R&D/business development VP. MS-Biology
from Cornell University. Strong interest and education in ecology. Lives in Tellico Village.
Bruce Rein: Retired Product Engineering Manager for Ford Motor company. Past Vice President of WATeR and Past Chair of the Shoreline Cleanup Committee. BSIE from Western Michigan University and MBA from Eastern Michigan University. Has lived in Tellico Village since 1996.
Gary Zika: Retired Program Manager for Harris County Flood Control District, Houston, TX, extensive experience in heavy civil projects ranging from water, sewer, roads, drainage, and structures.
BS Civil Engineering, Bradley University, MBA University of Pittsburgh. Professional Engineer in TX and
IL. Lives in Tellico Village.
Deborah Thurston: Gutsgell Professor Emeritus Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Lives in Tellico Village.
William Roy: Retired Environmental Compliance Manager at Cape Fear Public Utility Authority, Analytical & Environmental Operations Supervisor, International Paper. Univ. North Carolina at Pembroke, University of Florida. Lives in Tellico Village.
Tom Christ: Retired Environmental Project Manager, City Engineer. BSE University of Florida, MSE University of Central Florida. Lives in Tellico Village.
Bill Waldrop, Chairman emeritous: Retired Prof. Hydrologist & Engineer, Ph.D.; Previously Aerodynamicist w/ USAF & NASA; Post Doc. W/ LSU Chem. Eng. & Coastal Studies Inst.; Mngr. TVA Water Resource Environmental Projects; Owner & Tech. Dir. of Groundwater Testing & Instrument Development Co., Founder & Past Pres. WATeR; Chair of Water Quality Improvement Comm.; Resident of Tellico Village since 1992.
in memorium:
Jack Hall: retired V.P. Analytical Services, Dow. BS, Chemistry, Penn State University. Lives in Tellico Village TN
East Lakeshore Trail Committee
David Barnes, Chairman: Retired HVAC industry executive. Bachelor in Engineering, U. of Tennessee. Lives in WindRiver, TN. trails@tellicowater.org
Shoreline Cleanup Committee
Tom Ringenbach, Chairman: Retired Utility executive.
Email: cleanup@tellicowater.org
Federal and State Agencies Interacting with WATeR
TVA – Tennessee Valley Authority – A Federal agency created primarily to provide river navigation, control floods, and generate electric power throughout the watershed of the Tennessee River. This entails managing lake levels and flow rates in TVA controlled rivers and reservoirs. They manage TVA land along reservoirs and streams, and issue permits for shoreline construction of all types. All funds are derived from the sale of electric power. TVA has no regulatory authority to issue fines or penalties.
TDEC – Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation – A State agency with responsibility for developing and enforcing State and Federal environmental regulations. TDEC issues permits for all discharges into TN waters. They issue environmental classifications of streams, rivers, and reservoirs, and have authority to levy fines for violations of environmental regulations.
TWRA – Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency – A State agency that plans and manages wildlife issues throughout TN. In the Tellico Reservoir Watershed, they plan and manage fisheries, promote and advise for wildlife habitat management, stock streams and lakes with fish, issue hunting and fishing licenses, issue boat registrations, and enforce safe boating. They are the Game Wardens with authority to issue citations and make arrests.
USACE – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – A Federal agency with responsibility for navigation in rivers and reservoirs. As such, the USACE requires permits for shoreline construction to assure noninterference with boat navigation. They operate the navigation locks, and place and maintain buoys on main channels. TVA provides other activities in the Tennessee Valley normally performed by the USACE elsewhere, including placing and maintaining buoys along secondary channels.
TRDA – Tellico Reservoir Development Agency – A State agency created to manage certain land along Tellico Reservoir. This land was purchased by TVA when they built Tellico Dam and created Tellico Reservoir. TRDA was deeded TVA land designated for recreation or industrial, commercial, and residential development. TRDA controls access and development to assure use is consistent with TVA planned usage. They receive no State or TVA funding, but derive funds from the sale or lease of land for TVA designated use. They have no regulatory authority or responsibility for environmental issues, other than TRDA compliance with State and Federal regulations.
NRCS - Natural Resource Conservation Service – A branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture with small local branch offices. NRCS primarily assists rural landowners and provides grants to manage land and other natural resources, including agricultural uses and surface water interfaces. This agency, previously known as the Soil Conservation Service, advises and supports landowners to achieve both environmental and economic effectiveness.
SCD – Soil Conservation District – A local unit of county government that was established under state law to carry out natural resource management programs at the local level. Districts work with cooperating landowners and operators to help them manage and protect land and water resources on all private lands and many public lands in the United States. Soil conservation districts work in a close partnership with the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS).
University of Tennessee: The Department of Microbiology has collaborated on a graduate level study on Algae and phytoplankton. The Ag. Extension has collaborated on grant writing, and also has developed the Tennessee Smart Yards Program
The Origin and History of WATeR
WATeR grew out of a neighborly alliance. Bill Lenoir and Brian Baxter led the Fork Creek Association, whose fight against a proposed Vulcan Materials quarry had drawn strong support from Tellico Village. They saw the need for an organization that would look after the entire Tellico Lake watershed. In March 2000 they brought the idea to Bill and Marjorie Waldrop. Bill Waldrop took a proposal to the Tellico Village POA. Its board endorsed the proposal in September 2000 and authorized an ad hoc committee drawn from communities across the watershed. Committee member Don Hansen supplied the name, borrowing the “e” from Tellico to spell WATeR.
The Watershed Association of the Tellico Reservoir was incorporated in March 2001, with Bill Waldrop as its first president, and received 501(c)(3) status that October. Its first public event was a State of the Lake meeting with TDEC, TVA and TWRA, which drew about 140 residents.
That meeting launched the projects that still define WATeR. Work on the East Lakeshore Trail began in 2002 under a cooperative agreement with TVA. Volunteers built almost all of the 31-mile trail, which was completed in 2016. About 50 volunteers now maintain it across nine branches. Each March, the annual Shoreline Cleanup brings together roughly 250 volunteers from some 25 community organizations. In 2025 they removed more than four tons of trash.
On water quality, WATeR serves as a citizen-science partner to state and federal agencies. It has supported stream improvement work on Baker, Bat and Fork Creeks and helped farmers adopt better practices. It also joined the Tennessee Clean Water Network in litigation that led Madisonville to open a new wastewater treatment plant in 2017. WATeR has tracked water clarity since 2017 and has partnered with the University of Tennessee on algae research since 2022. It also tests swim beaches for E. coli, monitors hydrilla and records lake temperatures.
Twenty-five years on, WATeR remains all-volunteer and dedicated to a clean, healthy Tellico Lake.