4.5 River Basins
T ABLE 4.77 Water quality classifcation and rating information for the Roanoke River Basin
Percent (Basin Waters)
Percent (Basin Waters)
Percent (Basin Waters)
Freshwater Miles
Freshwater Acres
Coastal Acres
Classifcations
Total Basin Waters*
8,439
—
37,927
—
1,476
— — —
HQW ORW
97
1
1,045
3
— —
2
<1
—
—
Percent (Monitored Waters)
Percent (Monitored Waters)
Percent (Monitored Waters)
Freshwater Miles
Freshwater Acres
Coastal Acres
Use Ratings
Total Named Waters
2,217
— 38
37,543 34,225
— 91
1,476
— — — —
Supporting Impaired Not Rated
844
— — —
66 42
3 2
2,289
6
—
—
No Data
1,265
57
1,029
3
1,476
100
* Total Basin Waters estimated from National Hydrography Dataset (NHD), April 2015 (EPA 2014b) .
designated Tr. Tis is not the same as the Commission’s designated public Mountain Trout Waters, which is used to designate waters that support trout and are open to public fshing.
4.5.15.3 Aquatic Species Tere are 28 SGCN in the basin: one crayfsh species, 20 fsh species, and seven mussel species. Appendix G provides a list of SGCN and other priority species for which there are knowledge gaps or management concerns. Appendix H identifes SGCN associated with aquatic communities found in this river basin. Table 4.78 identifes the SGCN found in the Roanoke River Basin. 4.5.15.4 Threats Affecting Aquatic Species Tere are 37 permitted CAFOs for cattle and swine in the basin, with 54 waste lagoons associated with these facilities (NCDWR 2015b) . Nonpoint wastewater discharges from CAFOs contain high levels of nutrients (e.g., nitrogen, phosphorus), as well as fecal coliform bac- teria and chemical compounds associated with livestock operations (e.g., antibiotics, hormone products) (NCDWR 2015b) . Animal-waste lagoons that use spray felds to discharge wastewater near aquatic environments are a source of contamination because of the runof, percolation of wastewater into groundwater, and volatilization of ammonia release bacteria that signifcantly degrade water quality and endanger human and animal health (Mallin 2003; Mallin and Cahoon 2003) . Upstream waters located in Virginia are a source of con- tamination. For example, the waters of Kerr Reservoir in Virginia are considered by the VA
603
2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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