A recently published report by researchers at the National Forest Service’s Southern Research Station in Asheville, North Carolina outlines how forest lands provide drinking water to different regions of the Southeast United States.  The report breaks down what municipalities across 13 states receive drinking water supplies from rivers and streams originating in forested lands.  The report attempts to highlight the importance function forests play in providing water supplies.

It is interesting to note that while 3.4% of the total annual water supply for these states (including Kentucky) originates from National Forest System lands, 32.4% of this water supply originates on State and private forest lands.  These numbers highlight the important role that private landowners play in protecting water resources passing through their property.

If you would like more information on where your water comes from, you can see the breakdown of National Forest/water interactions starting in the Appendix (p.24) of the report.