4.5 River Basins
Location of the Neuse River Basin
F IGURE 4.23
4.5.12.2 Aquatic Resources Tere are about 12,703 miles of streams and rivers, including small intermittent and ephemeral streams, and numerous acres of freshwater and estuarine wetland communities in the basin (NCDWR 2015a) . Tere are 881 stream miles that have supplemental classifcations as High Quality Waters (HQW) and about 238 stream miles of Outstanding Resource Waters (ORW) in the basin because they either have excellent water quality or they are a signifcant resource to humans and/or wildlife (NCDWQ 2011a) . Tis includes freshwater segments of the Neuse, Eno, Little, and South rivers. Coastal estuarine waters of the Intracoastal Waterway, Core and Pamlico Sounds, and their bays carry either a HWQ or ORW classifcation (NCDWR 2015a) . Te Neuse River Estuary has approximately 50,852 saltwater acres that are classi- fed as HQW; the Pamlico Sound has over 84,692 saltwater acres classifed as HQW; and the West Bay covers more than 16,359 of brackish waters that are classifed as HQW. Core Sound has approximately 18,202 saltwater acres classifed as ORW. Tere are ORW Special Management Strategy Areas in the basin for Deep Creek (23,660 acres) and Core Sound with Pamlico and Back Sound Areas (126,940 acres) (NCDWR 2015c) . Tese areas require site-specifc provisions to protect resource values (no new discharges or expansion of existing discharges) (see 15A NCAC 02B.0225).
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2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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