Jake's Creek, Spring, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

With annual precipitation of about fifty inches at the lower elevations and eighty inches at higher elevations, the inviting sights and sounds of tumbling water are common in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Rivers and streams seem to be everywhere, especially in early spring. Unfortunately, air pollution produced in distant cities now forms highly acidic rain and snow within the park. In fact, Great Smoky Mountains National Park has the highest levels of acid precipitation of any park in the United States. Clouds that shroud the park's mountains are often as acidic as vinegar. If left unchanged, the same rain and snow that creates these beautiful streams will irreparably damage the park's plants and aquatic life. To learn more about the causes and effects of acid precipitation, please visit the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and National Parks and Conservation Association web sites.