The Four Rivers region includes all of the Lower Cumberland and Lower Tennessee Rivers with tributaries in the Jackson Purchase of Kentucky that drain to the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.  These watersheds drain approximately 4,700 square miles of Kentucky with more than 10,000 miles of streams.  This region also controls many karst flow systems that affect underground water movement and quality. The general topography varies from the Mississippi floodplain to the gently rolling terrain of the Pennyrile plateau.  The Four Rivers region includes all or parts of 17 counties: Ballard, Carlisle, Hickman, Fulton, McCracken, Marshall, Calloway, Graves, Livingston, Lyon, Trigg, Caldwell, Christian, Todd, Logan, Crittenden and Simpson.  Major cities in the region are Clinton, Bardwell, Paducah, Mayfield, Murray, Benton, Wickliffe, Fulton, Calvert City, Cadiz, Hopkinsville, Elkton and Adairville.  Major impoundments include Kentucky and Barkley lakes.

Since much of the Lower Cumberland and Purchase area is alluvial floodplain with rich soils ideal for farming, it is no surprise that agriculture is a large part of the local economy.  Major crops are corn, soybeans, wheat and tobacco.  Livestock includes beef, dairy, swine and broilers.

Special resources of the Four Rivers region afford many opportunities for outdoor activities and provide refuge for wildlife as well as for natural functions.  The Clarks River National Wildlife Refuge is the first national wildlife refuge established wholly within the state of Kentucky.

The Land Between the Lakes (LBL) is the largest inland peninsula in the United States and the second largest contiguous block of forested public land east of the Mississippi.  There are three state resort parks in the region: Kentucky Dam, Lake Barkley and Ken Lake.  Kentucky and Barkley lakes are also widely known for fishing and boating.  The LBL area serves as a magnet for tourists from all over the world that come to this unique and vast area for vacationing.  The natural resources not only not only important ecological functions, but the river industries, tourism and recreation that these resources support are a major part of the region’s economy and a major source of jobs.

Basin Overview - Basin overview of the Four Rivers Basin watershed assessment.

Ranked Watershed List - This is a list of watersheds and their rank completed by the basin team.

Methodology - The process of targeting resources by identifying three important environmental impact groups.