The name "Sweetwater" is thought to derive from the high quality of the water obtained from springs in the stream's valley. In the 1910s, local historian W.B. Lenoir concocted a different version of the name's origin. In a 1913 newspaper article and 1916 book, he reported that the name came from early white settlers' interpretation of "Soitee Woitee", the Cherokee name for the stream and its associated valley, which name he said meant "happy homes." He later admitted that this was a made-up story with no factual basis.
Watershed characteristics and hydrology
The stream drains a watershed of 38,844 acres. Much of the watershed is underlain by carbonate bedrock. Sinkholes and other topographic features characteristic of karst hydrology are present. As is typical of carbonate landscapes, there is significant interaction between groundwater and the stream. A large fraction of the stream's flow enters from groundwater, particularly during dry periods. Streamflow was measured from 1964 through 1981 at two gauging stations located downstream from Sweetwater. The gauging site used from 1964 to April 1970 had a drainage area of and the site used from May 1970 through 1981 had a drainage area of. Annual average flows measured at these sites ranged from 35 to 83 cubic feet per second. The lowest observed daily average flow was 4.3 cubic feet per second, in 1980, and the highest daily average was 887 cubic feet per second, in 1973. During the unusually dry weather conditions of 1980, three-quarters of the stream's flow is estimated to have been groundwater inflow.
Sweetwater Creek provides the majority of the publicwater supply that is provided to the city of Sweetwater by the Sweetwater Utilities Board. Daily withdrawals averaged 810,000 gallons as of 2000 and were expected to increase to more than 1.1 million gallons by 2030. The city also receives an average of 540,000 gallons per day of groundwater from a spring. Because the city's water requirements represent a large fraction of Sweetwater Creek streamflow during dry periods, there has been some concern that water supply may not be adequate to meet the city's future needs. Most of the creek watershed is in forest and agricultural uses. In 2002, there were 1,825 beef cows, 675 milk cows, 720 horses, 25 hogs, 30 sheep, and 110,500 poultry animals housed in the watershed. Residential and urban uses occupy about 6% of the watershed area. As of 1997, there were 3,640 people using septic systems in the watershed. Treated effluent from Sweetwater's sewage treatment plant is discharged to the stream. The stream is considered to have impaired water quality due to elevated levels of fecal coliform bacteria, nitrates, and sediment, which are attributed to factors including sewage effluent discharge, grazing and concentrated feeding of farm animals, land development, and channelization.