Chapter 4 Habitats
Valley River and Brasstown Creek are the largest streams that are not impounded in the North Carolina portion of the basin (NCDEQ 2025e) . The main stem Hiwassee and Nottely rivers are regulated by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) for the production of hydroelectric power, with three large impoundments that form the Chatuge, Hiwassee, and Apalachia reservoirs. The TVA has published a land management plan that includes these reservoirs as well as others in the Mountain ecoregion (TVA 2009) . • Chatuge Reservoir straddles the North Carolina/Georgia line and impounds the Hiwassee River. The North Carolina portion of the lake is situated in the southwestern portion of the state in Clay County. It provides flood damage reduction, hydroelectric power generation, augmentation of water flows for navigation downstream, and numerous recreational opportunities (TVA 2021) . The shoreline is surrounded by development, and its proximity to four major cities in four different states likely contributes to its popularity for vacation homes. The Chatuge Lake covers about 3,549 freshwater acres (NCDEQ 2025e) . • Hiwassee Reservoir impounds the Hiwassee River to create a 22-mile-long reservoir in Cherokee County. The reservoir encompasses 5,031 freshwater acres and provides hydroelectric power generation and flood damage reduction (NCDEQ 2025e, SARP 2024) . The lake also provides recreational facilities for camping, fishing, and boating (TVA 2025, 2009) . • Apalachia Reservoir is also in Cherokee County, downstream from Hiwassee Reservoir. The hydroelectric powerhouse is operated as run-of-river (little or no water storage provided). Most flow from the dam is diverted through a pipeline from the dam to the Apalachia Powerhouse 8.3 miles downstream in Tennessee before it is returned to the river channel. Minimum flows are released from the dam to the channel downstream, which crosses the state line less than a mile from the dam. The reservoir has very little private shoreline development and no commercial recreational facilities (TVA 2025, 2009) . The lake covers approximately 1,022 freshwater acres in North Carolina. The Hiwassee River Basin covers approximately 644 square miles, making it one of the smaller basins in the state. Based on 2011 National Land Cover Dataset information, land use in the basin was estimated to be 85% forested, 7% urban or developed, 5% agricultural, 2% grassland, and less than 1% wetland (MRLC 2011). The Nantahala National Forest covers nearly half of the basin, and there are substantial private holdings in the middle and higher elevations. Small portions of Eastern Band of Cherokee Indian tribal lands are located within the basin (primarily within the Hanging Dog Creek watershed). 4.5.9.2 Aquatic Resource Conditions Surface waters of the state are assigned a classification that carries standards for protection of the best uses of that water. Classification categories include aquatic life, recreation, fish consumption, and water supply. There are 925 miles of freshwater streams in the basin that
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2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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