Air and Water Quality in Knoxville (Seymour: allergies, air quality, to eat)

[mattbward]

I have read some bad things about the quality of the air in Knoxville.

What specific factors make the air in Knoxville so polluted besides the obvious terrain factor of being in a valley?

Also, is the air in Seveirville really much better? Or Seymour?

I want to raise my children somewhere that you can go outside and truly take in a breathe of fresh air.

Any input would be appreciated.


Also are their any lakes where you shouldn't eat fish you catch out of due to pollution?

Thanks in advance!

[snapdragon]

As far as I know the air quality is bad just because of our location. It's not something you can smell though. When I go outside I feel like I'm breathing fresh air, it's just that the reports say differently.

[JMT]

If you're prone to severe allergies, Knoxville might not be for you. Even before the combustion engine came around East Tennessee had "smoky" air (hence the name of our mountains). The gorgeous vegetation here means there's a lot of pollen in the air. That pollen gets trapped by the moisture in the air, and then it can't escape because the mountains act as a barrier.

And now we have three very busy interstate highways in the Knoxville area, and all that car and truck exhaust doesn't help.

Our lakes are fabulous. I would definitely not hesitate to eat fish caught in any of our lakes except for Watts Bar, and that's only because of the recent ash spill from TVA's gigantic power plant.