The Cumberland River is formed by the junction of the Poor and Clover Forks of the Cumberland River in Harlan County, Kentucky, about 693 miles above its confluence with the Ohio River at Smithland, Kentucky.  The drainage area of the river is 17,598 square miles.  Major tributaries include the Laurel, Big South Fork, Caney Fork, Obey, Harpeth, Roaring, Red, Rockcastle, and Stones Rivers.  Topography within the Cumberland watershed is highly diverse, with elevations ranging from 4,139 feet above mean sea level in its headwaters in the Cumberland Mountains to 302 feet mean sea level at its confluence with the Ohio River.

LTCE Map

The Lower Tennessee Cumberland Ecosystem is composed of two watersheds, the lower half of the Tennessee River and the entire drainage of the Cumberland River.  The Tennessee River, the fifth largest river in the United States in terms of flow, begins at the confluence of the Holston and French Broad Rivers near Knoxville, Tennessee, and empties into the Ohio River 650 miles downstream near Paducah, Kentucky.  The river drains 41,000 square miles over 125 counties in seven states.  The lower Tennessee River encompasses that portion of the river valley located in Northern Alabama and Middle and West Tennessee.