Chapter 4 Habitats
stocked trout fishery. Migration of anadromous and potamodromous fishes is severely limited, if not altogether prevented by dams.
The few remaining free-flowing, cool- or warmwater high-quality habitats in larger tributary streams are isolated and fragmented by the impoundment effects on the mainstem Catawba River. The total effect of this habitat fragmentation on priority species populations is not entirely clear; however, some impacts are evident. Habitats may be recovering in some streams where species were extirpated by past habitat loss. Potential recolonization of these recovering habitats may be impossible due to barriers created by dams, impoundments, and/or intervening habitat made unsuitable by other factors. Several existing impoundments are used for water supply, and new impoundments are being proposed within the basin for that purpose. As human population increases, water supply is an increasing burden on surface waters. Water withdrawals, impoundments, and interbasin water transfers can significantly alter habitats for native aquatic species. This is an emerging problem that will likely increase in importance in the near future. Sedimentation. With the exception of streams located on public lands, streams within the basin are degraded or threatened by a number of factors, including sedimentation, loss of riparian woody vegetation, water withdrawals, channelization and/or relocation, point source pollution, and nutrient loading. Ground disturbance from development activities and poorly managed agriculture are the primary sources of erosion, sedimentation, and nutrient enrichment. Point sources of pollution include wastewater treatment plants and permitted industrial discharges (much of the basin flows through highly urbanized areas). Alterations to stream channels, increased impervious surfaces (resulting in increased flashiness), and loss of riparian vegetation contribute to stream channel and bank erosion, which in turn contribute to sedimentation and other physical habitat degradation. Water Quality. The basin has 32 permitted Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), primarily cattle production, with 60 associated waste lagoons (NCDEQ 2022) . 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 (NCDEQ 2022) . While any one source may create only 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. Invasives. Nonnative species known in the basin include Asian Clams, Virile Crayfish, Japanese Mystery Snail, Grass Carp, Blue, Channel, and Flathead catfishes, Smallmouth Bass, Muskellunge, White Bass, Yellow Bass, Rainbow and Brown trout, and even the exotic Northern Snakehead. Land-locked Blueback Herring, Alewife, and White Perch are known in several
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2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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