Chapter 4 Habitats
The Cape Fear River Basin can be characterized by three general regions:
• Upper Cape Fear, including the headwaters in the Piedmont • Middle Cape Fear, including the fall line and the Sandhills • Lower Cape Fear, which includes the coastal region with blackwater streams and swamps The headwaters include the Deep River, originating near High Point, and the Haw River, originating north of Greensboro, which join to form the Cape Fear River just downstream of the B. Everett Jordan Reservoir dam. Much of the headwater area is located in and flows through highly urbanized areas, which significantly impacts water quality in the basin. Blackwater streams and rivers in the lower Cape Fear include the South River, Black River, and Northeast Cape Fear River. Species found in the Sandhills and Coastal Plain have a high rate of endemism due to unique habitats in those ecoregions. Land use in the basin is 42% forested, 18% wetland, 12% urban or developed, 6% grassland, and 21% agricultural (MRLC 2011; Jin et al. 2013) . Public lands include approximately 234,381 acres of state and federal lands. Significant public lands include the B. Everett Jordan Reservoir, Bladen Lakes State Park, and numerous game lands managed by the NCWRC. The estimated 2010 human population was 2,072,304, which represents about 22% of the state’s total population. 4.5.5.2 Aquatic Resource Conditions Segments of numerous streams, rivers, and impounded waters have supplemental classifications as High Quality Waters (HQW) because they have excellent water quality (NCDEQ 2025f,g) . Several freshwater stream impoundments (2,480 acres); 195 miles of freshwater streams; and 8,624 acres of estuary waters carry HQW classifications (NCDEQ 2025f,g) . The Cape Fear River near the Lilliput Creek, Walden Creek, and Snow’s Cut confluences, Buzzard Bay, Muddy Slough, and other coastal tributaries, and coastal estuarine waters associated with the Intracoastal Waterway also carry an HWQ classification (NCDEQ 2025f,g) .
Tr Waters (NCDEQ)
Units
TOTAL 51,525 23,689
HQW 2,480 8,624
ORW
NSW
Freshwater Acres Saltwater Acres Freshwater Miles
-- --
17,740
-- --
--
3,638
185
130
725
HQW/ORW Management Areas
89,272
89,272
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--
--
The HQW classifications include about 89,272 acres of HQW Special Management Strategy Areas in the basin for the Northeast Cape Fear River, Deep River, Little Polecat Creek, Avents
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2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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