Editing Grainger County, Tennessee (section)

=== Waterways ===
[[File:GCbridgeandmarina.jpg|right|thumb|Marina adjacent to German Creek Bridge on [[Cherokee Lake]]]]
The main source of water in Grainger County is man-made [[Cherokee Lake]].<ref name="soil-nrcs">{{cite web |title=Soil Survey of Grainger County, Tennessee |url=https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_MANUSCRIPTS/tennessee/TN057/0/tn_grainger.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_MANUSCRIPTS/tennessee/TN057/0/tn_grainger.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live |website=[[Natural Resources Conservation Service]] |access-date=July 25, 2020 }}</ref> Cherokee Lake was created during the 1940s as part of the [[Tennessee Valley Authority]]’s hydroelectric revitalization project. The lake is fed by multiple sources, including a series of natural creeks and runoff waters. The lake begins with its first source at Poor Valley Creek in Hawkins County, extends through Grainger County and neighboring Hamblen and Jefferson counties. Cherokee Lake ends at [[Cherokee Dam]] where the water is drained into the [[Holston River]] along the Grainger/Jefferson border. In total, Cherokee Lake has 28,780 acres of surface area and extends for 400 miles of shoreline.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cherokee-lake.org/|title=Cherokee Lake|website=CherokeeLake.org|access-date=March 15, 2020}}</ref>

The Holston River below Cherokee Dam continues southwestward along the Grainger/Jefferson border passing the communities of [[New Corinth, Tennessee|New Corinth]], [[Richland, Tennessee|Richland]], and [[Blaine, Tennessee|Blaine]], then crossing into Knox County, with the confluence with the [[French Broad River]] in Knoxville, forming the [[Tennessee River]].<ref name="holstonmap">{{cite web |title=Holston River Map |url=https://jv6.b2e.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/map-Holston-River.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://jv6.b2e.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/map-Holston-River.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live |website=Outside Knoxville |publisher=[[Tennessee Valley Authority]] |access-date=December 14, 2020}}</ref>

In the northern part of the county, the [[Clinch River]] passes through [[Thorn Hill, Tennessee|Thorn Hill]] near the tri-border of Claiborne, Hancock and Grainger counties. The river then traverses northwestward along the Grainger/Claiborne border, flowing into the basin of [[Norris Lake (Tennessee)|Norris Lake]] north of [[Washburn, Tennessee|Washburn]] and [[Liberty Hill, Grainger County, Tennessee|Liberty Hill]].<ref name="TWRAgis">{{cite web |title=TWRA Boating & Fishing Access Sites Map |url=https://twra.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=99260b5ae08f4eb386946f08e1f18d3f |website=[[Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency]] |access-date=December 14, 2020}}</ref> In total, Norris Lake has 33,840 acres of surface area and extends for 809 miles of shoreline that Grainger shares with Union, Claiborne, [[Campbell County, Tennessee|Campbell]], and [[Anderson County, Tennessee|Anderson]] counties.<ref>{{cite web |title=About Norris Lake |url=http://www.norrislake.com/home/about-norris-lake/ |website=norrislake.com |access-date=June 10, 2020}}</ref>