4.5 River Basins
T ABLE 4.85 Water quality classifcation and rating information for the Watauga River Basin
Percent (Basin Waters)
Percent (Basin Waters)
Classifcations
Freshwater Miles
Freshwater Acres
Total Basin Waters*
650
—
54 — —
— — —
HQW ORW
51 21
8 3
Percent (Monitored Waters) Freshwater Acres
Percent (Monitored Waters)
Use Ratings
Freshwater Miles
Total Named Waters
279 117
— — — — —
— — — — —
Supporting Impaired Not Rated
42
9
3 5
15
No Data
142
50
* Total Basin Waters estimated from National Hydrography Dataset (NHD), April 2015 (EPA 2014b) .
poorly managed livestock pasture (causing sedimentation from runof and stream bank erosion) are also signifcant.
Te area appears to be experiencing an acceleration of development, and threats to water and habitat quality are increasing. Development (primarily home construction) is rapidly increasing on steeper slopes. As related development increases (e.g., golf courses, commer- cial), stormwater runof contributes more sedimentation and other nonpoint problems. Christmas tree farming is also increasing in the basin. Relatively large amounts of herbi- cides and pesticides are used in this form of silviculture, but the relative impacts of runof from tree farms is unclear. Impacts from nonnative species (e.g., Margined Madtom) are also unclear, but could negatively afect native fsh communities. According to the NCDENR dam inventory (NCDEMLR 2014) , there are 20 impoundments in the basin. Most are small privately owned lakes used for recreation. Tere are no major impoundments within the North Carolina portion of the basin. Tere is one run-of-river hydroelectric facility on the Watauga River (Ward Mill Dam). Tere are several small impoundments on tributaries, including Beech Mountain Reservoir on Buckeye Creek (drinking water reservoir) and Seven Devils Resort Lake on an unnamed tributary to the Watauga River (recreation). 4.5.18.5 Recommendations Conservation priorities that apply statewide to all river basins are presented in Section 4.5.3.3. Priorities identifed in the Watauga River Basin are shown in Figure 4.36 and a list of the priority 12-digit HUCs is included in Appendix J.
627
2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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