4.5 River Basins
Location of the Little Tennessee River Basin
F IGURE 4.19
supporting their use classifcation(s) and assigned use-support ratings. Tese ratings are published in the most recent 303(d) impaired waterbodies list (NCDWQ 2007b, 2012c) .
Te upper headwaters of the East Fork Tuckasegee and Nantahala rivers are designated ORW and multiple higher elevation streams are designated HQW (NCDWR 2015a) .Tere are ORW and HQW Special Management Strategy Areas in the basin for the Upper Nantahala River Area (34,397 acres), Tuckaseegee River Area (7,255 acres), North Shore Fontana Lake Area (83,016 acres), Snowbird Creek (10,719 acres), Slickrock Creek (6,648 acres), Flat Creek (2,671 acres), and Oconaluftee River (586 acres) (NCDWR 2015c) . Tese areas require site-specifc provisions to protect resource values (e.g., no new discharges or expansion of existing discharges) (see 15A NCAC 02B.0225). Table 4.62 provides information on water quality classifcations and use support ratings in the basin. Te basin contains some of the highest quality waters in the state, with many high eleva- tion trout streams supporting native Brook Trout. Tere are approximately 1,727 miles of NCDWR designated trout waters (Tr) in the basin (NCDWR 2015a) . Tis is not the same as the
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2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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