Chowan River Basin Fact Sheet_Final

Quick Facts
CHOWAN RIVER BASINWIDE WATER RESOURCES PLAN 2020
• Located in the northeast corner
of the state, waters in the
Chowan River basin begin in
Virginia and flow into North
Carolina. 3,600 mi2 (75%) lies in
Virginia. 1,300 mi2 (25%) lies in
North Carolina.
• 2016 land use in the North
Carolina portion of basin
consists of 36% forest, 29%
agriculture and 20% wetlands.
• All or portions of Bertie,
Chowan, Gates, Hertford, and
Northampton counties and 16
municipalities are in the North
Carolina portion of the basin.
• Chowan River proper originates
where the Blackwater and
Nottaway rivers meet. Major
tributaries include Potecasi
Creek, Wiccacon River, and
Ahoskie Creek.
• 23 miles of the Wiccacon River
(Hoggard Swamp) and 8 miles
of Cricket Swamp are identified
as impaired (exceeding water
quality standards) (2018).

More information about water
quality and quantity issues in the
basin can be found here:
https://deq.nc.gov/chowan2020
Basinwide planning is a watershed-based approach to identify areas that
need additional protection, restoration, or preservation to ensure waters of
the state are meeting their designated use. Basinwide water resources plans
(basin plans) are prepared by North Carolina’s Department of Environmental
Quality (DEQ) Division of Water Resources (DWR). Implementation of
recommendations, however, entail the coordinated efforts of state and local
agencies, community leaders, and stakeholders in the basin.
Nutrient Management
The Chowan River was the first coastal river in North Carolina to be recognized
for water quality issues related to excess nutrients. In 1972 and 1978, major
nuisance algal blooms were reported in the lower portion of the river. Nuisance
algal blooms are the growth of microscopic or macroscopic vegetation due to
an excess amount of nutrients in a river system. The nutrient sources in the
Chowan River were identified as wastewater from municipal and industrial
dischargers, overland flow, and drainage from agricultural and urban areas.
In May 1979, the Environmental Management Commission (EMC) established
the Nutrient Sensitive Water (NSW) supplemental classification. This
supplemental classification provided a legal basis for controlling the discharge
of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) into surface waters. This enabled
nutrient limits to be included in National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
(NPDES) wastewater permits discharging to the surface waters of the Chowan
River basin (3 mg/L total nitrogen and 1 mg/L total phosphorus as a 30-day
average).
In 1982, the then North Carolina Department of Natural Resources and
Community Development developed the Chowan/Albemarle Action Plan and
the Chowan River Water Quality Management Plan. The plans identified specific
management goals to reduce nutrients in the Chowan River. These included
reducing nitrogen inputs by 15% to 25% and phosphorus inputs by 30% to 40%.
Reducing both nutrients would result in a reduction in chlorophyll a. Chlorophyll
a is an algal pigment used to measure biological productivity in aquatic
ecosystems. The plans also dictated that peak levels of chlorophyll a were not
to exceed 40 μg/L. During summer months, chlorophyll a concentrations were
not to exceed 25 to 30 μg/L.
Implementation measures were put into place throughout the 1980s and 1990s
and included converting (where possible) point source discharge to land
application and the installation of best management practices (BMPs) to control
nonpoint source pollution from agricultural lands. Information presented in the
2002 and 2007 Chowan River basin plans indicated the management strategies
were working and nutrients were being reduced. This led to a steady decline in
the frequency and intensity of algal blooms, and the majority of chlorophyll a
measurements were below thethe state’s water quality standard of 40 μg/L.
Chowan River at Cannon’s Ferry,June 29, 2020; CEEG
Over the last several years, however, there has been a resurgence of algal
blooms. Some have been identified as potentially harmful algal blooms (pHAB).
A pHAB can produce toxins that can impact aquatic and terrestrial life as well
as human health. Part of the basin planning process is to evaluate what changes
have occurred over time and how those changes may be affecting the
resurgence of algal blooms and pHABs.
Next Steps
The 2020 Chowan River Basinwide Water Resources Plan is available for public
review and comment. The basin plan is available online and can be found here:
https://deq.nc.gov/chowan2020. The plan includes information about water
quality and quantity and existing management strategies. It acknowledges that
the location of algal blooms in a large river system, like the Chowan River, are
highly dependent on several environmental factors including nitrogen and
phosphorus availability, stream flow, and climate (temperature, light intensity,
precipitation, wind driven tides and storm events). The location of algal blooms
shifts constantly with these changing conditions. More research is needed to
understand the nutrient sources and environmental factors influencing the algal
blooms in the basin. The Nutrient Criteria Development Plan (NCDP) Science
Advisory Council (SAC) began working in the Chowan River and Albemarle Sound
in 2019. The NCDP was developed in 2014 and approved by EPA with the goal of
developing site-specific criteria to protect waterbodies. Working with the NCDP
SAC, DWR has identified what uses need to be protected in the Chowan River
and Albemarle Sound, developed a list of sensitive organisms, and is in the
process of determining the appropriate response variables to assess water quality.
Recommendations in the basin plan are categorized and include:
• Continued use of BMPs to control nonpoint source pollution from agriculture,
forestry, and stormwater
• Improved communication with agencies working in Virginia and North Carolina
• Identify research and monitoring needs for groundwater, surface water,
stream flow, water withdrawal, nutrient sources, climate change, etc.

Written comments on any part of the basin plan can be sent to Forest Shepherd
([e-mail]) by October 30, 2020. The final basin plan is
scheduled to be presented to the EMC in January 2021.
Permitted and
Registered Activities
in the Basin
7 NPDES
Wastewater
25
NPDES
Stormwater
17 NPDES
Non-Discharge
40 Animal Feeding
Operations
22 Public Water
Supply (PWS)
Systems
23 Registrants
reporting to
the Water
Withdrawal
and Transfer
Registration
(WWATR)
Program
Special thanks to the Albemarle Resource Conservation &
Development Council, Inc. (ARCD), the Chowan-Edenton
Environmental Group (CEEG), researchers and local stakeholders
that have provided their input into the plan.