James McMillan was born into a family of farmers who have farmed in Knox County for 6 generations. From the time he was a little boy, he loved the land, to farm, to hunt and to fish. In 2002, James’ creek overflowed with mud from upstream developments. After numerous conversations with authorizes, he was urged to make stormwater a bigger cause than just his farm – that they needed him to push for needed reform. James took up the cause and has been running with it ever since.

James was instrumental in starting the stormwater program at Tennessee Clean Water Network and continue to provide samples, photos and data. He works diligently and without pay to monitor sites all over Knox County, and even to other nearby counties. As rumors of his knowledge grow, more and more people now call him instead of the local or state authorities.