4.5 River Basins
criteria or due to impaired aquatic communities. Te EPA reports more than half of the lakes and reservoirs in the state are impaired due to mercury contamination (EPA 2013a) . Te NC Division of Water Resources (NCDWR) has rated all waters in the state as impaired based on a statewide fsh consumption advisory issued by the NC Division of Public Health (NCDPH) for mercury contamination (NCDPH 2014) . 4.5.3 Aquatic Conservation Priorities, Strategies, and Recommendations Tere has been increased attention focused on analysis of aquatic biodiversity, patterns of imperilment, and threats to distill priorities for proactive management and/or conser- vation triage. A few eforts have gone beyond (or bypassed) identifying specifc priorities to propose strategies that address long-term aquatic conservation needs and actions to address these priorities. Tese eforts were outlined in the 2005 WAP (NCWRC 2005) . To the greatest extent possible and where applicable, this guidance, as well as more recent eforts, have been incorporated into this Plan. Te following sections outline aquatic conservation priorities, strategies, and recommen- dations that are applicable throughout North Carolina. Te remaining portions of this Chapter (Sections 4.5.4 through 4.5.20) describe the 17 river basins, which are organized alphabetically. Tese descriptions provide a more detailed view of the threats, needs, and conservation priorities within each basin. Priority species are identifed for each basin (see Appendix H); however, a complete list of all priority species can be found in Appendix G. 4.5.3.1 Aquatic Conservation Priorities Conservation priorities have been identifed for each river basin at the cataloging unit or stream reach scale and were categorized using two tiers to indicate relative importance when considering the limited resources available for conservation initiatives. Te recom- mendations were developed by Commission biologists through review of their feld data as well as data from several agencies and research organizations. Te review considered a combination of factors such as the presence of federal- or state-listed species; distribution of priority species; high species diversity; unique habitats, or high-quality habitats in the subbasin; and the importance of the watershed to downstream populations. Priority areas identifed in this Chapter are represented by 12-digit hydrologic unit code (HUC) watershed boundaries and 1-km riparian corridors and characterized as Tier 1 (highest priority) and Tier 2 (high priority) recommendations for conservation. Figures depicting the locations of priority areas are provided in each river basin description. In addition to recommendations provided for each river basin, the following general recom- mendations are applicable statewide in all river basins. Appendix J provides a list of all
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2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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