4.5 River Basins
Location of the Chowan River Basin
F IGURE 4.13
vulnerable. Te Chowan River Basin was the frst waterbody in the state to be designated NSW. Tis designation protects areas with water quality problems associated with exces- sive plant growth resulting from nutrient enrichment, likely from nonpoint sources (fertil- izer in runof from agriculture and waste from confned animal operations), and nuisance algae blooms associated with excess nutrient loads. Nearly all of the 16,500 acres of estua- rine waters in the basin are ranked by NCDWR as supporting aquatic life. Table 4.53 provides information on water quality classifcations and use support ratings in the basin. Te entire area of the Albemarle Sound is rated impaired (i.e., exceeding criteria) due to a dioxin fsh consumption advisory issued by the NC Division of Public Health (NCDPH 2014) . Other factors that contribute to impaired ratings include fecal coliform and enterroc- cus bacteria contamination from confned animal operations and agricultural activities (NCDWQ 2007a) . Tere are no major reservoirs in the North Carolina portion of the basin but the NC Division of Energy, Mineral, and Land Resources dam inventory (NCDEMLR 2014) reports there
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2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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