4.5 River Basins
nearly half of the basin and there are substantial private holdings in the middle and higher elevations. Small portions of Eastern Band of Cherokee Indian tribal lands are located within the basin (primarily within the Hanging Dog Creek watershed). Te Hiwassee River Basin encompasses all or portions of two counties (Cherokee and Clay) and three municipalities (Andrews, Hayesville, and Murphy). Figure 4.17 depicts the geo- graphic location of the basin. 4.5.9.2 Aquatic Resource Conditions Surface waters of the state are assigned a classifcation that carries standards for protection of the best uses of that water. Classifcation categories include aquatic life, recreation, fsh consumption, and water supply. Tere are 1,277 miles of freshwater streams in the basin that have been classifed by NCDWR for best intended uses. 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
Location of the Hiwassee River Basin
F IGURE 4.17
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2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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