Chapter 4 Habitats
Federal Status
State Status
Common Name
Scientific Name
Phanogomphus cavillaris
Sandhill Clubtail
At-Risk
Gomphurus septima
Septima's Clubtail
Stylurus ivae
Shining Clubtail
Lestes forcipatus
Sweetflag Spreadwing
4.5.5.4 Threats Affecting Aquatic Species Development. The Cape Fear River Basin contains multiple areas of high human population density, and the most populated areas are located in the Piedmont municipal regions referred to as the Triad and the Triangle (NCDEQ 2025e) . The Triad is the area encompassing Winston- Salem, Greensboro, and Highpoint, and the Triangle is the area anchored by Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill. All the major urban centers in the basin are experiencing fast growth rates. As counties in the upper basin and those along the coast experience high population growth, current capacities for drinking water and wastewater treatment will experience increased demands for service that could require a corresponding increase in utility construction, water withdrawals, and treatment discharges. Comparison of water supply demand projections for municipalities in the basin with percent of projected water supply available for the 2040 planning period indicates demand from growth will use from 50% to 99% of available water supplies in the basin (NCDWR 2025d) . Water Quality. The basin has numerous Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), primarily swine production, with 1,275 permitted facilities and 2,035 associated waste lagoons (NCDEQ 2024b,c) . These facilities, as well as several other impact factors in the basin, result in waters being rated as impaired, due to fecal coliform and enterococcus bacterial contamination, ammonia, chlorides, habitat degradation, chlorophyll a , low dissolved oxygen (DO), turbidity, nutrients, elevated heavy metal or cyanide levels, and other point and nonpoint pollutants. While any one source may only create local impacts, the cumulative effects from multiple sources and impacts occurring throughout the basin have had a severe and long-lasting impact. Sedimentation from agriculture, forestry, and construction practices and stormwater discharge are major issues in the basin. Impoundments. According to the National Aquatic Barrier Inventory & Prioritization Tool (SARP 2024) , there are 1,695 dams and road-related barriers in the Cape Fear River Basin. The mainstem of the Cape Fear is interrupted by three locks and dams in the middle and lower portions of the river. The upper Cape Fear River has large barriers at Buckhorn Dam and Jordan Dam. There are also numerous smaller dams on the tributaries to the Cape Fear. The consequences of these impoundments include blocked migration routes for diadromous and resident native species, reduced recolonization and dispersal potential for multiple aquatic
4 - 397
2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator