4.5 River Basins
Location of the Broad River Basin
F IGURE 4.7
4.5.4.2 Aquatic Resource Conditions Surface waters of the state are assigned a classifcation that carries standards for protecting the best intended uses of that water. Tere are more than 1,878 miles of freshwater streams in the basin that have been classifed by NCDWR for best uses (NCDWR 2015a) . Classifcation categories include aquatic life, recreation, fsh consumption, and water supply. Overall, more than 34% of the monitored streams that have data available support intended uses; however, the lack of data for more than half the basin provides an unclear assessment of overall water quality. It is important to note that all waters in the state are rated as impaired based on a state-wide fsh consumption advisory for mercury contamination. Some waterbodies in the basin have supplemental classifcations as High-Quality Waters (HQW) or Outstanding Resource Waters (ORW) because they either have excellent water quality or they are a signifcant resource to humans or wildlife (NCDWR 2014c) . Te require- ments for classifcation as an ORW are more stringent than those for an HQW and in some circumstances, the unique characteristics of the water and resource require that a special- ized management strategy be developed (NCDWQ 2011c; NCDWR 2015a, 2015d) . Tere are two HQW Special Management Strategy Areas in the eastern corner of the basin (Henderson County): Green River (12,269 acres) and Lake Montonia (15 acres) (NCDWR 2015c) . Tese areas require
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2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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