4.5 River Basins
4.5.13 New River Basin 4.5.13.1 River Basin Description
Te New River Basin in North Carolina is located in the northwest corner of the state and is part of the Kanawha/Ohio/Mississippi River system. Te basin drains 754 square miles in North Carolina and includes approximately 2,071 stream miles. It is the only interior basin drainage in North Carolina that does not fow into the Tennessee River. Te New River Basin is entirely within the Mountain ecoregion and is comprised of three subbasins: the North Fork New River, the South Fork New River, and the Little River. Te length of the basin made up of the 26.5 miles of the lower South Fork New River and the entire North Carolina portion of the New River is designated as both a USA National Wild and Scenic River (NWSRS 2015) and a state Natural and Scenic River (NCDPR 2015) . Te entire New River was named an American Heritage River (NCPDR 2015) in 1998. Te North Carolina portion of the New River Basin is mountainous and rural. Based on 2011 National Land Cover Dataset information, land use in the basin is 69% forested, 22% agricultural, 7% developed or urban, 1% grassland, and less than 1% wetland (MRLC 2011; Jin et al. 2013) . Most land in the basin is privately owned. Public land ownership includes the New River State Park (1,300 acres along the South Fork New River), Mount Jeferson State Natural Area, Elk Knob State Park, fve NCWRC game lands covering about 8, 203 acres (including Tree Top Mountain, Pond Mountain, and Mitchell River), and relatively small areas within the Blue Ridge Parkway (Blue Ridge National Heritage Area 2015) . Recently, the USFWS established the Mountain Bogs National Wildlife Refuge (39 acres) in Ashe County for conservation of Appalachian mountain bog habitats and protection of federal listed endangered and threatened species (USFWS 2013) . NCWRC recently established the Watson-Old Man’s Bog Tract (about 10 acres) in Alleghany County to protect rare species. Te New River Basin encompasses all or portions of three counties (Ashe, Alleghany, and Watauga) and has six municipalities, with Boone being the largest. Figure 4.25 depicts the geographic location of the basin. 4.5.13.2 Aquatic Resource Conditions Water quality is generally good in the New River Basin. However, impaired waters within the basin include Naked Creek, Little Bufalo Creek (due to wastewater treatment plant discharge, nonpoint sources-sedimentation), Peak Creek, Ore Knob Branch, and Little Peak Creek (due to acid mine drainage). Te entire Wild and Scenic-designated reach of the New River and South Fork New River reach is classifed as Outstanding Resource Waters (ORW). Most of the middle reach of the South Fork New River is designated as High-Quality Waters (HQW), as is the lower Little
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2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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