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Discover NC River Basins Booklet
Discover NC River Basins Booklet
North Carolinas
River
Basins
ENVIRONMENTAL
EDUCATION
It is also a land experiencing competition for its natural resources that are
already under stress and that could be lost to us in the absence of a widespread
awareness of their existence, their significance and their value.
Natural resources are not isolated from each other or the people who use them.
Each resource is an integral part of the ecosystem. When one part of the system is
affected, other parts feel the impact. It is environmental education that provides
the knowledge, understanding and awareness of this interconnectedness of all
things and gives us the ability to make informed environmental decisions.
The more we understand and respect our own community, the more capable we
are of being good stewards of the environment. If you have ever visited one of
North Carolinas many Environmental Education Centersnature centers, parks,
aquariums, museums, the zoo, public gardens, etc.then you have already
started appreciating natural systems and had fun while learning about them.
Environmental education is not issue advocacy or a biased point of view.
Environmental education enables communities to care for their own environment. Living within the limits set by the environment depends on the beliefs
and commitment of individuals. Individuals working together as a community
have more power to promote practices that can nourish rather than cripple
their natural life-support systems.
North Carolinas
River Basins
KEN TAYLOR, WILDLIFE IMAGES
W H AT I S A R I V E R B A S I N ?
A river basin is the land that
water flows across or under on its
way to a river. As a bathtub catches all the water that falls within its sides, a
river basin sends all the water falling on the surrounding land into a central
river and out to an estuary or the sea.
groundwater: the
water found in
cracks and pores
in sand, gravel
and rocks below
the earths surface
North Carolinas
Sparta
at
iv
R
au
WATAU G A
ga
Boone
I
R
M ITC H ELL
oad
Marion
Lak e
Jam e s
BU R K E
South
al
sa
TR A N SYLVA N I A
C LE VELA N D
R iv
G A STON
Shelby
MAC O N
Lexington
DAVID SO N
ROWA N H i gh
Uwhar ri e
R oc k
Lak e
Mountain
Mooresville
Tu cke r t ow n
R es er v oi r
Kannapolis
Concord
M oun tain
Is l and
Lake
Lak e
W y li e
Thomasville
er
Salisbur y
Gastonia
er
High
Point
Mocksville
C A BA R RU S
Bad in
Lak e
Albemarle
ns
Columbus
Kernersville
Winston-Salem
DAVI E
IR E D ELL
Lincolnton
Kin gs M o untai n
R es er v oir
Belew s
Lake
De
ai
ad
nt
Brevard
Rutherfordton
ins
ou
ge
ve
ro
POLK
Hendersonville
M ounta
Pe
R iv e r
se
Lak e
Franklin
Ri
H EN D ER SO N
JAC K S O N
iv
Lak e
N or man
LIN C OLN
R iv e r
Chatuge
a M ou nt a in s
Hayesville
hal
Lak e
Standing
Indian Mtn.
5499'
ee
se
e
Murphy R i v e C LAY
r
n ta
as
N an tahal a
Lak e
ka
ess
C H E RO K E E
Na
H iwas s ee
iw
Te
Wayah
Bald
5342'
nn
Robbinsville
FOR SYTH
Yadkinville
C ATAWBA
Lak e
Lur e
RU TH ER FOR D
ns
Statesville
R
Mountains
Bryson
Tu
City
c
GR A H A M
San teetl ah
Lak e
atow
Loo kout
Sho als
Hickory
Lak e
Newton
Asheville
Waterrock
Knob
Waynesville Cold Mtn.
6292'
6030'
Mt . Pisgah
Richland
5721'
Balsam
6540'
Sylva
ai
Lak e H i ckor y
Morganton
Saur
YA D K I N
nt
Taylorsville
Lak e
R ho dhis s
awba
sh
ou
R iv e
A LE XA N D E R
Lenoir
Cat
M c D OWELL
B ru
C A LDWELL
BU N C OM B E
H AYWOOD
Mt . Mitchel l
6684'
Br
eon
L ittle
YA N C E Y
Marshall
P ig
ta in
oun
ky M
k
G reat S m o al P ar
N a tio n
Fonta na
SWA I N
La ke
or
Bakersville
th
Burnsville T o e
R iv
er
c h M A D ISO N
Mt. Sterling
5835'
Mt . Hardison
6134'
Clingmans
Dome
6643'
en
dki
Wilkesboro
AV E RY
Fr
Ya
W. Ker r Sc ott
R es er v oir
Grandfather Mtn.
Newland
5964'
Danbury
R iver
WILK E S
R.
Roan Mtn.
6285 '
Da
Dobson
STA N LY
M ON TGO
Lake
Til l er y
M EC K LEN B U R G
Charlotte
rie
Ne
STOK E S
S U R RY
A SH E
har
er
A LLEGH A N Y
Uw
Phoenix Mtn.
4690'
Jefferson
Mint Hill
Matthews
R iv
Wadesboro
WATAUGA
NEW
ROANOKE
CHOWAN
YA
IN
EE
WB
BROAD
NE
-P
TA
FRENCH
BROAD
TA
DK
CA
LITTLE
TENNESSEE
DE
HIWASSEE
CA
PE
FE
SAVANNAH
US
PASQUOTANK
R-
PA
LI
CO
AR
WHITE OAK
LUMBER
NORTH CAROLINA
HAS
17
Five of the states river basinsthe Hiwassee, Little Tennessee, French Broad, Watauga
and Neware part of the Mississippi River Basin, which drains to the Gulf of Mexico. All
the others flow to the Atlantic Ocean. Of the 17 basins, 11 originate in North Carolina,
but only four are contained entirely within the states bordersthe Cape Fear, Neuse,
White Oak and Tar-Pamlico.
*The green boundary on the small map marks the River Basins of the Albemarle-Pamlico Estuarine System.
ANSON
er
Monroe
U N ION
River Basins
C u rr
it u c
sq
uo
k
S ou nd
ta n
R iv
R iv e
er
Sound
rle
oa
DA R E
nd
Hollow
Ground
Swamp
S ou
A l li g a t o r
ta n
TYR R ELL
Phelps
Lake
Manteo
Cr
Columbia
WA SH IN GTON
New
Lake
W
Washington
In tr a
B EAU FO RT
co a st
Swan
Quarter
Pam
lic o
Kinston
er
wa
al
Lake
Mattamuskeet
H YD E
So
Gum Swamp
C R AVE N
Pa
lic
un
Cape Hatteras
R iver
at
R iv e r
Goldsboro
Pa
ema
Plymouth
Snow Hill
WAYN E
Lillington
A lb
PITT
Greenville
H A R N ETT
MOOR E
Elizabeth
City
Camden
Pungo Lake
ve
se
OME RY
Ri
er
LE E
ve
Williamston
GR EEN E
Smithfield
Carthage
Troy
WILSO N
eu
J OH N STON
Sanford
Edenton
MA RT IN
er
iv
R iv
Ri
Tarboro
ns
ke
ED GEC OMB E
Garner
Currituck
Hertford
C H OWA N
Windsor
Wilson
Harr is
Reser vo ir
C H ATH A M
no
Rocky
Mount
WA K E
Raleigh
Cary
Nashville
Wake
Forest
Falls Lake
Ha
B. Everett
Jordan
Lake
Pittsboro
Asheboro
Durham
Chapel Hill
PER QU IMA N S
oa
B E RT IE
N A SH
Ta
Carrboro
R A N D OLPH
Louisburg
DURHAM
TA
O R A N GE
A LA MA N C E
HA LI FA X
FR A N K LI N
Gra h a m
Dee
H ERTFOR D
Bu r l i n g to n
Greensboro
VA N C E
Quaker
Creek
Reser voir
Gatesville
n
R
PA
GU ILFOR D
Oxford
Winton
Halifax Jackson
WA R R E N
owa
Lake
Bur lington
Townsend
Lake
Warrenton
Henderson
PER SON
Dismal
Swamp
GATE S
C A SWELL
N ORTH A MPTON
Ch
Reidsville
GR A N VILLE
Roanoke
Rapids
ve
Wentworth
Lake
Gaston
TU
Yanceyville
er
Roanoke Rapids
Lake
John H. Kerr
Reser voir
Ma yo
Reservoir
Hyco
Lake
Roxboro
Eden
RO C K IN GH A M
te
Oa
CART ERE
T
Beaufort
B ogu
Sou
nd
O
Elizabethtown
Singletar y
Lake
R
iv
er
ROB ESO N
Bay Tree
Fe
Lake
a r White
Lake
us
Havelock
Jacksonville
Fear
Lumber ton
O N SLOW
Cap
e
er
B LA D E N
mb
pe
ve
Ca
Ri
Lu
hi
Wolf Swamp
Long
Lake
Little
Lake
th
D U PLI N
SC OTLA N D
Laurinburg
Ne
Catfish
Lake
Great
Lake
un
ou
Rockingham
J ON E S
Kenansville
ve
So
Clinton
Ri
SA MPSO N
C U MB ER LA N D
PA M LIC O
Raeford
New Bern
Trenton
re
Fayetteville
R IC H MON D
H
D
N H OK E
N o rthe a st
Bl ewett F all s
Lake
Bayboro
Co
LEN OIR
iv
PEN D E R
Bl
er
ac
Burgaw
k
R
iv
er
Whiteville
Lake
Waccamaw
Areas
N EW
COLUMBU S
Wilmington
Wa cc a
Green
Swamp
Bolivia
m aw
B RU N SWIC K
H A N OVE R
Ri
ve
r
Cape F ear
This map is provided in poster format by the Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs in the N.C.
Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Map by Lee Ratcliffe, from the Nov. 1999 special issue of Wildlife in North Carolina Magazine, Rivers of North
Carolina, published by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. Base map copyright John Fels, 1997.
Sources: NCDENR Division of Water Resources; NCDENR Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs;
N.C. Department of Transportation; N.C. State University School of Design.
Cape Fear
Yadkin-PeeDee
Tar-Pamlico
Neuse
Roanoke
Pasquotank
Lumber
Catawba
French Broad
Little Tennessee
Broad
White Oak
Chowan
New
Hiwassee
Watauga
Savannah
9,164
7,221
6,148
6,062
3,493
3,366
3,329
3,285
2,829
1,797
1,514
1,382
1,298
754
644
205
171
what
know
river basin
topography:
how is the land shaped
around your home?
Topography describes the physical features of a
place, or the terrainsuch as mountains, valleys
and floodplains. Is the land around you flat or
hilly? How close are you to a floodplain (a usually
dry area that becomes inundated with water
when streams and rivers overflow)?
groundwater:
where do you get
your drinking water?
If it comes from a well, the source is groundwater.
The quantity and quality of groundwater are of
concern to humans. Water that flows through
contaminated soils can become tainted. What
is the quality of groundwater where you live?
biodiversity:
what species share
your backyard?
Biodiversity is the totality of genes, species and ecosystems in a region. Humans depend on biodiversity for food, medicine and balanced natural systems. These natural systems affect the quality and
quantity of water and tell us much about the health
of the whole river basin. How much land is forested? What species are endangered where you live?
Are there any rare natural areas near your home?
what kind of
The local soil
soil is beneath type deteryour feet?
mines what
happens when bare soil is exposed to wind and
rain, what happens to toxic material dumped on
the soil (such as oil from your car or pet and
human wastes), how groundwater percolates, what
what is your
climate like?
Consider how much rain or snow is typical for a
given year and when it falls. This will give you an
idea of when the ground is likely to be saturated
with water. When no more water can seep into
the ground, runoff rushes quickly over land.
ecological footprint:
the amount of land
and water needed
to support ones lifestyle using current
technology
DERRICK HAMRICK
Invasive
SPECIES
Animals and plants that
are not a part of the local
ecosystem, commonly
called invasive, exotic or
non-native species, pose
a threat to rivers and
streams. These species
come from all over the
world. They are intentionally and sometimes accidentally being introduced
through plant nurseries,
the pet/aquarium trade
As a stream becomes
sediment: eroded
polluted, many small,
soil particles that
juvenile organisms are
wash or blow into
the first to perish.
rivers
Large quantities of
sediment, nutrients and chemicals entering the
stream will smother and poison tiny aquatic
creatures, wreaking havoc throughout the food
webfrom insects to fish to humans. A diverse
population of aquatic insects is essential for
Do you
know
RIVER BASIN
PLANNING
comments on the draft plan. The plans contain available information on characteristics of the basin, current water quality and management strategies for
protecting or improving water quality. For more information about river basins and
nonpoint source pollution in North Carolina, explore the website of the Basin Planning Program: http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/wq/ps/bpu. For each river basin, youll
find a basinwide plan, river statistics, notices of upcoming events, links to contacts
for watershed groups and other helpful information.
nonpoint source
pollution: diffuse
runoff from large
areas of land
NC AQUARIUMS
VEGETATIVE BUFFER
natural filtration
clear water
NO VEGETATIVE BUFFER
sediment runoff
siltation
erosion
AIRLIE GARDENS
DIFFERENCE
in their communities:
STREAM WATCH
Clean waterways are as important as safe
neighborhoods. The Stream Watch program is
based on the philosophy that those in the best
position to notice the signs of a streams distress
are its neighbors: the people who live along its
banks or use its waters. The program is one of
the best examples of citizen monitoring in North
Carolina. With the help of the state Division of
Water Resources, Stream Watch volunteers are
encouraged to take an active role in promoting
the well-being of the waterway they adopt.
Stewardship activities
macroinvertebrate:
include stream and
animal that lacks
riverbank cleanups,
a backbone and
wildlife identificais visible to the
tion and inventories,
naked eye
water quality testing,
surveys of macroinvertebrates, educational
programs and nature walks. For more information, contact the Division of Water Resources at
www.ncwater.org and click on Stream Watch.
10
T
E
RWISE
A
W
E
B
AM
AD
BY
ON
ATI
R
T
S
ILLU
ILL
BR
NC AQUARIUMS
LAND CONSERVATION
Land conservancy groups across the state are vital
to clean water efforts because they purchase and
protect land bordering riparian areas. Another
trend is conservation easements on land that
borders rivers and streams; this practice gives
landowners tax breaks in exchange for their promise to preserve and not develop certain parts
of their land. To find out how to contribute
to or participate in a conservation easement
program, contact your local soil and water
conservation district or a land conservancy
or trust in your area.
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
Public education is critical for protecting rivers
and streams. Through environmental education,
you can learn more about the natural systems
that support you. To encourage citizens to make
informed environmental decisions, North Carolina offers many environmental education programs to the public through facilities from the
mountains to the coast. These include parks,
museums, environmental education centers,
aquariums, zoos and botanical gardens.
To learn about the wealth of programs and
opportunities available, please visit the Office
of Environmental Education and Public Affairs
website at www.eenorthcarolina.org.
11
Whats Different?
You may have noticed some minor changes to the map and some
of the river basin boundaries. Good eye! About half of the basins
experienced small changes to their borders. These changes help
make the basins more accurate. They now reflect the flow of the
water instead of political lines such as county and city borders. The
changes are very minor, but the most obvious change came to the
White Oak and Cape Fear basins. The White Oak River Basin now
extends south to near Wilmington. This change better demonstrates
how the water flows.
The map above illustrates the changes to the basins. The black
lines represent the former boundaries. The different colors represent
the new boundaries.
12
Revised: 2013