On This Page
- North Carolina Assessment Summary
- Water Quality by Waterbody Type
- Causes of Impairment
- Probable Sources Contributing to Impairments
- Previously Impaired Waters Now Attaining All Uses
- TMDL Alternatives by Cause of Impairment
- Causes of Impairment for 303(d) Listed Waters
- Cumulative TMDLs by Pollutant
- Cumulative Number of TMDLs
Data are also available for these years: 2002 2004
Waterbody Changes from Prior Cycle
Comparison Summary by Reporting Year
For More Information:
North Carolina Assessment Report
State Water Quality Program
North Carolina 2006 Water Quality Assessment Report
North Carolina Assessment Summary for Reporting Year 2006
Description of this table| Size of Water | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rivers and Streams (Miles) |
Lakes, Reservoirs, and Ponds (Acres) |
Bays and Estuaries (Square Miles) |
Coastal Shoreline (Miles) |
Wetlands (Acres) |
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| Good Waters | 3,502.0 | 48,690.9 | 632,055.7 | ||||||||||||
| Previously impaired waters now attaining all uses |
12.9 | ||||||||||||||
| Threatened Waters | |||||||||||||||
| TMDL completed | |||||||||||||||
| TMDL alternative | |||||||||||||||
| Non-pollutant impairment | |||||||||||||||
| TMDL needed | |||||||||||||||
| Impaired Waters | 3,577.6 | 58,389.2 | .0 | 321.9 | 110,000.5 | ||||||||||
| TMDL completed | 313.1 | 68.1 | 24,492.9 | ||||||||||||
| TMDL alternative | 84.1 | 280.0 | |||||||||||||
| Non-pollutant impairment | 22.0 | ||||||||||||||
| TMDL needed | 3,158.3 | 58,041.0 | .0 | 321.9 | 85,507.5 | ||||||||||
| New TMDLs completed | 44.5 | 7,535.5 | .0 | .0 | 1,716.4 | ||||||||||
| Remaining TMDLs needed | 3,113.8 | 50,505.5 | .0 | 321.9 | 83,791.1 | ||||||||||
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| Total Assessed Waters | 7,079.6 | 107,080.1 | .0 | 321.9 | 742,056.2 | ||||||||||
| Total Waters | 37,662.0 | 311,236.0 | 3,121.0 | Unavailable | 7,175,000.0 | ||||||||||
| Percent of Waters Assessed | 18.8 | 34.4 | .0 | Unavailable | 10.3 | ||||||||||
Summary of Water Quality Assessments for Each Waterbody Type
for Reporting Year 2006
North Carolina Assessed Waters
Summary of Water Quality Attainment for Rivers and Streams
Reporting Year 2006
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North Carolina Assessed Waters
Designated Use Support for Rivers and Streams
Reporting Year 2006*
* Waters assessed for more than one designated use are included in multiple designated use groups below.
Description of this table| Designated Use | Miles Assessed | Percent Good | Percent Threatened | Percent Impaired | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Use | 7,079.6 | 49.5 | .0 | 50.5 |
North Carolina Causes of Impairment
for Threatened and Impaired Rivers and Streams
Reporting Year 2006
Description of this table
| Cause of Impairment | Cause of Impairment Group | Miles Threatened or Impaired |
|---|---|---|
| Biological Integrity | Cause Unknown - Impaired Biota | |
| Mercury in Fish Tissue | Mercury | |
| Turbidity | Turbidity | |
| Dissolved Oxygen | Organic Enrichment/Oxygen Depletion | |
| pH | pH/Acidity/Caustic Conditions | |
| Fecal Coliform | Pathogens | |
| Nutrients | Nutrients | |
| Selenium | Metals (other than Mercury) | |
| Copper | Metals (other than Mercury) | |
| Chlorophyll-A | Algal Growth | |
| Toxicity | Total Toxics | |
| Organic Enrichment (Sewage) Biological Indicators | Organic Enrichment/Oxygen Depletion | |
| Aquatic Plants - Native | Nuisance Native Species | |
| Lindane | Pesticides | |
| Dioxin (Including 2,3,7,8-TCDD) | Dioxins | |
| Chlorine | Chlorine | |
| Zinc | Metals (other than Mercury) | |
| Iron | Metals (other than Mercury) |
North Carolina Probable Sources of Impairments
for Threatened and Impaired Rivers and Streams
Reporting Year 2006
No probable sources of impairments reported.
North Carolina Assessed Waters
Summary of Water Quality Attainment for Lakes, Reservoirs, and Ponds
Reporting Year 2006
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North Carolina Assessed Waters
Designated Use Support for Lakes, Reservoirs, and Ponds
Reporting Year 2006*
* Waters assessed for more than one designated use are included in multiple designated use groups below.
Description of this table| Designated Use | Acres Assessed | Percent Good | Percent Threatened | Percent Impaired | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Use | 107,080.1 | 45.5 | .0 | 54.5 |
North Carolina Causes of Impairment
for Threatened and Impaired Lakes, Reservoirs, and Ponds
Reporting Year 2006
Description of this table
| Cause of Impairment | Cause of Impairment Group | Acres Threatened or Impaired |
|---|---|---|
| Mercury in Fish Tissue | Mercury | |
| Chlorophyll-A | Algal Growth | |
| Turbidity | Turbidity | |
| Aquatic Plants - Native | Nuisance Native Species | |
| pH | pH/Acidity/Caustic Conditions | |
| Dioxin (Including 2,3,7,8-TCDD) | Dioxins | |
| Biological Integrity | Cause Unknown - Impaired Biota | |
| Nutrients | Nutrients |
North Carolina Probable Sources of Impairments
for Threatened and Impaired Lakes, Reservoirs, and Ponds
Reporting Year 2006
No probable sources of impairments reported.
North Carolina Assessed Waters
Summary of Water Quality Attainment for Bays and Estuaries
Reporting Year 2006
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North Carolina Assessed Waters
Designated Use Support for Bays and Estuaries
Reporting Year 2006*
No designated uses reported.
North Carolina Causes of Impairment
for Threatened and Impaired Bays and Estuaries
Reporting Year 2006
No causes of impairment reported.
North Carolina Probable Sources of Impairments
for Threatened and Impaired Bays and Estuaries
Reporting Year 2006
No probable sources of impairments reported.
North Carolina Assessed Waters
Summary of Water Quality Attainment for Coastal Shoreline
Reporting Year 2006
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North Carolina Assessed Waters
Designated Use Support for Coastal Shoreline
Reporting Year 2006*
* Waters assessed for more than one designated use are included in multiple designated use groups below.
Description of this table| Designated Use | Miles Assessed | Percent Good | Percent Threatened | Percent Impaired | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Use | 321.9 | .0 | .0 | 100.0 |
North Carolina Causes of Impairment
for Threatened and Impaired Coastal Shoreline
Reporting Year 2006
Description of this table
| Cause of Impairment | Cause of Impairment Group | Miles Threatened or Impaired |
|---|---|---|
| Mercury in Fish Tissue | Mercury | |
| Selenium | Metals (other than Mercury) |
North Carolina Probable Sources of Impairments
for Threatened and Impaired Coastal Shoreline
Reporting Year 2006
No probable sources of impairments reported.
North Carolina Assessed Waters
Summary of Water Quality Attainment for Wetlands
Reporting Year 2006
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North Carolina Assessed Waters
Designated Use Support for Wetlands
Reporting Year 2006*
* Waters assessed for more than one designated use are included in multiple designated use groups below.
Description of this table| Designated Use | Acres Assessed | Percent Good | Percent Threatened | Percent Impaired | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Use | 742,056.2 | 85.2 | .0 | 14.8 |
North Carolina Causes of Impairment
for Threatened and Impaired Wetlands
Reporting Year 2006
Description of this table
| Cause of Impairment | Cause of Impairment Group | Acres Threatened or Impaired |
|---|---|---|
| Fecal Coliform | Pathogens | |
| Dissolved Oxygen | Organic Enrichment/Oxygen Depletion | |
| pH | pH/Acidity/Caustic Conditions | |
| Chlorophyll-A | Algal Growth |
North Carolina Probable Sources of Impairments
for Threatened and Impaired Wetlands
Reporting Year 2006
No probable sources of impairments reported.
North Carolina Causes of Impairment for Reporting Year 2006
Description of this table
| NOTE: Click on the underlined Cause of Impairment Group to see a list of specific state causes of impairment making up the Cause of Impairment Group. | |||||||||||||||
| Cause of Impairment Group | Size of Assessed Waters with Listed Causes of Impairment | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rivers and Streams (Miles) |
Lakes, Reservoirs, and Ponds (Acres) |
Bays and Estuaries (Square Miles) |
Coastal Shoreline (Miles) |
Wetlands (Acres) |
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| Algal Growth | 24.7 | 16,402.7 | 2,654.0 | ||||||||||||
| Cause Unknown - Impaired Biota | 1,675.0 | 905.7 | |||||||||||||
| Chlorine | 4.4 | ||||||||||||||
| Dioxins | 6.4 | 1,475.5 | |||||||||||||
| Mercury | 520.0 | 29,188.5 | 321.9 | ||||||||||||
| Metals (other than Mercury) | 55.7 | 91.0 | |||||||||||||
| Nuisance Native Species | 6.9 | 5,140.6 | |||||||||||||
| Nutrients | 34.1 | 75.3 | |||||||||||||
| Organic Enrichment/Oxygen Depletion | 305.8 | 7,174.6 | |||||||||||||
| Pathogens | 151.1 | .0 | 54,394.8 | ||||||||||||
| Pesticides | 6.6 | ||||||||||||||
| pH/Acidity/Caustic Conditions | 203.7 | 3,494.0 | 6,360.4 | ||||||||||||
| Total Toxics | 17.9 | ||||||||||||||
| Turbidity | 297.9 | 10,449.7 | |||||||||||||
North Carolina Probable Sources Contributing to Impairments
for Reporting Year 2006
No probable sources reported.
North Carolina TMDL Alternatives by Cause of Impairment 2006
No TMDL Alternatives reported.
North Carolina Previously Impaired Waters Now Attaining All Uses
Description of this table| NOTE: Click on the underlined "Number of Waters Attaining" value for a detailed list of those waters now attaining all uses. | ||
| Cycle Attaining | Number of Waters Attaining | Number of Causes of Impairment Addressed |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 58 | |
North Carolina Causes of Impairment for 303(d) Listed Waters
Description of this table| NOTE: Click on a cause of impairment (e.g. pathogens) to see the specific state-reported causes that are grouped to make up this category. Click on the "Number of Causes of Impairment Reported" to see a list of waters with that cause of impairment. | |
| Cause of Impairment Group Name | Number of Causes of Impairment Reported |
|---|---|
| Pathogens | |
| Cause Unknown - Impaired Biota | |
| Mercury | |
| Turbidity | |
| Organic Enrichment/Oxygen Depletion | |
| pH/Acidity/Caustic Conditions | |
| Algal Growth | |
| Metals (other than Mercury) | |
| Noxious Aquatic Plants | |
| Nutrients | |
| Dioxins | |
| Total Toxics | |
| Chlorine | |
| Pesticides | |
Total: 982 Causes of Impairment
North Carolina Cumulative TMDLs by Pollutant
This chart includes TMDLs since October 1, 1995.
Description of this table| NOTE: Click on the underlined "Pollutant" value to see associated listed waters for which a TMDL was developed. Click on the underlined "Number of TMDLs" value to see a listing of those TMDLs for the pollutant. | ||
| Pollutant | Number of TMDLs | Number of Causes of Impairment Addressed |
|---|---|---|
| Fecal Coliform | 57 | |
| Mercury | 35 | |
| Fecal | 15 | |
| Phosphorus, Total | 7 | |
| Nitrogen, Total | 6 | |
| Aquatic Weeds | 5 | |
| Dioxin | 5 | |
| Turbidity | 5 | |
| Total Suspended Solids (TSS) | 5 | |
| Pollutants in Urban Stormwater | 3 | |
| Nitrogen | 2 | |
| Copper | 1 | |
| Dissolved Oxygen | 1 | |
Total: 145 TMDLs; 147 Causes of Impairment Addressed
North Carolina Cumulative Number of TMDLs
EPA Fiscal Year starts October 1 and ends September 30.
Description of this table
| NOTE: Click on the underlined "Number of TMDLs Completed" value for a detailed list of the TMDLs for the fiscal year. | ||
| Fiscal Year | Number of TMDLs | Number of Causes of Impairment Addressed |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 1 | |
| 1997 | 5 | |
| 1999 | 2 | |
| 2000 | 35 | |
| 2002 | 16 | |
| 2003 | 7 | |
| 2004 | 16 | |
| 2005 | 13 | |
| 2006 | 7 | |
| 2007 | 24 | |
| 2008 | 1 | |
| 2009 | 20 | |
Total: 145 TMDLs; 147 Causes of Impairment Addressed
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