Elizabethton in Carter County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)

Gap Branch Clean Water Project

Photographed by Mark Parker, March 14, 2025

1. Gap Branch Clean Water Project Marker

Inscription.

Gap Branch Clean Water Project. . This project focused on one mile of the stream that you see above this sign. It was coordinated by the Boone Watershed Partnership, a non-profit organization in northeast Tennessee that is dedicated to improving the quality of water resources., The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation regularly monitors the water quality in streams across Tennessee. Before the beginning of the project in 2014, Gap Branch (also known as Gap Creek) was polluted with bacteria and was listed on the Tennessee 303d list of impaired streams due to high levels of E. coli in the water. One of the contributing factors was old and ineffective septic systems along the stream., The eroding stream banks were restored during the first phase of the project. Methods included use of channel structures, root wad deflectors, and the use of plants that will grow root systems to secure the stream bank, especially during times of high water flow. During the second phase, 22 septic tanks were removed and mobile homes adjacent to 1,000 feet of Gap Branch were connected to the City of Elizabethton sewer system with outfall line., The total project was completed in 2017. Streams are not often removed from the 303d list of impaired streams. However, Gap Branch was delisted in 2019, signifying the success of this project in improving the water quality., (Captions) , This site of 140 in length was originally a 6 ft. high eroded, undercut bank. It required sloping and rock in the toe. Matting was secured along with grass and tree plantings. , This site of 25 ft. in length was a 3 ft. high eroded bank. It required sloping along with matting, grass and tree plantings. , This section of restored stream bank shows tree and other vegetation growth., Partners: Boone Watershed Partnership. Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, City of Elizabethton, City of Johnson City, and the owners of the property, Clark Homestead, LLC. , This project was funded, in part, under an agreement with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, and the US Environmental Protection Agency

This project focused on one mile of the stream that you see above this sign. It was coordinated by the Boone Watershed Partnership, a non-profit organization in northeast Tennessee that is dedicated to improving the quality of water resources.

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation regularly monitors the water quality in streams across Tennessee. Before the beginning of the project in 2014, Gap Branch (also known as Gap Creek) was polluted with bacteria and was listed on the Tennessee 303d list of impaired streams due to high levels of E. coli in the water. One of the contributing factors was old and ineffective septic systems along the stream.

The eroding stream banks were restored during the first phase of the project. Methods included use of channel structures, root wad deflectors, and the use of plants that will grow root systems to secure the stream bank, especially during times of high water flow. During the second phase, 22 septic tanks were removed and mobile homes adjacent to 1,000 feet of Gap Branch were connected to the City of Elizabethton sewer system with outfall line.

The total project was completed in 2017. Streams are not often removed from the 303d list of impaired streams. However, Gap Branch was delisted in 2019, signifying the success of this project in improving

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the water quality.

(Captions)
This site of 140 in length was originally a 6 ft. high eroded, undercut bank. It required sloping and rock in the toe. Matting was secured along with grass and tree plantings.
This site of 25 ft. in length was a 3 ft. high eroded bank. It required sloping along with matting, grass and tree plantings.
This section of restored stream bank shows tree and other vegetation growth.

Partners: Boone Watershed Partnership. Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation, City of Elizabethton, City of Johnson City, and the owners of the property, Clark Homestead, LLC.
This project was funded, in part, under an agreement with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation, and the US Environmental Protection Agency

Erected by Boone Watershed Project.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Environment • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 2014.

Location. 36° 19.884′ N, 82° 15.85′ W. Marker is in Elizabethton, Tennessee, in Carter County. It is at the intersection of West G Street and Mary Patton Highway (Tennessee Route 362), on the right when traveling west on West G Street.

Gap Branch Clean Water Project Marker next to the bridge over Gap Creek along the Tweetsie Trail image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Parker, March 14, 2025

2. Gap Branch Clean Water Project Marker next to the bridge over Gap Creek along the Tweetsie Trail

The marker is along the Tweetsie Trail to the east of the bridge over Gap Creek. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2140 W G St, Elizabethton TN 37643, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in East Tennessee

and in the Tri-Cities Area.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

the State of Franklin,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Fort Watauga Monument (approx. ¼ mile away); Monument to the Patriots (approx. ¼ mile away); Uncovering the Past (approx. 0.4 miles away); The Taylor Family (approx. 0.4 miles away); Restoration of Sabine Hill (approx. 0.4 miles away); Sabine Hill (approx. 0.4 miles away); a different marker also named Sabine Hill (approx. half a mile away); Buffalo Creek (approx. 0.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Elizabethton.

Credits. This page was last revised on March 16, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 15, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. This page has been viewed 146 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 15, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.