2001 Roanoke Executive Summary

Executive Summary xiv
Executive Summary
North Carolina’s Basinwide Approach to Water Quality Management
Basinwide water quality planning is a nonregulatory watershed-based approach to restoring and
protecting the quality of North Carolina’s surface waters. Basinwide water quality plans are
prepared by the NC Division of Water Quality (DWQ) for each of the seventeen major river
basins in the state. Each basinwide plan is revised at five-year intervals. While these plans are
prepared by the DWQ, their implementation and the protection of water quality entails the
coordinated efforts of many agencies, local governments and stakeholders in the state. The first
basinwide plan for the Roanoke River basin was completed in 1996.
This document is the first five-year update of the Roanoke River Basinwide Water Quality Plan.
The format of this plan was revised in response to comments received during the first planning
cycle. DWQ replaced much of the general information in the first plan with more detailed
information specific to the Roanoke River basin. A greater emphasis was placed on identifying
causes and sources of pollution for individual streams in order to facilitate local restoration
efforts.
DWQ seriously considered comments from three public workshops and four public meetings
held in the basin during plan development. Many changes were made to the draft as a result of
public review. This input will help guide continuing DWQ activities in the basin.
Goals of the Basinwide Approach
The goals of DWQ’s basinwide program are to:
• identify water quality problems and restore full use to impaired waters;
• identify and protect high value resource waters;
• protect unimpaired waters while allowing for reasonable economic growth;
• develop appropriate management strategies to protect and restore water quality;
• assure equitable distribution of waste assimilative capacity for dischargers; and
• improve public awareness and involvement in the management of the state’s surface waters.
Roanoke River Basin Overview
The Roanoke River begins in the Blue Ridge Mountains of northwestern Virginia and flows in a
generally southeastern direction for 400 miles before emptying into the Albemarle Sound in
eastern North Carolina. By the time it reaches the fall line near Roanoke Rapids, it has captured
water from nearly 8,000 square miles of land. From Roanoke Rapids to the coast, the river
drains another 2,000 square miles, carrying more water than any other river in North Carolina.
The North Carolina portion of the basin (roughly 36 percent of the entire watershed) is composed
of two major parts: the Dan River and its tributaries in the western section; and the Roanoke
River from Virginia to the Sound in the eastern section. The Roanoke River enters North
Executive Summary xv
Carolina through John H. Kerr Reservoir and then flows into Lake Gaston and Roanoke Rapids
Lake before regaining its riverine form.
The upper Dan River is classified as trout waters and part of the area is also designated a State
Water Trail by the NC Division of Parks and Recreation. The lower portion of the basin contains
the largest intact and least disturbed bottomland hardwood and cypress-tupelo ecosystems on the
Atlantic Coast of North America. This area is important habitat for anadromous fish, including
striped bass, as well as black bear, bobcat, large populations of wild turkey, 14 species of
waterfowl, and 220 additional bird species.
Sixty percent of the land in the basin is forested and about twenty-two percent is in cultivated
cropland. Cotton, peanuts, tobacco and soybeans are among the most common crops grown.
Only six percent of the land falls into the urban/built-up category. Despite the large amount of
cultivated cropland and the relatively small amount of urban area, the basin has experienced a
significant decrease (-105,300 acres) in the former and increase (+77,700 acres) in the latter over
the past fifteen years.
There are 15 counties and 42 municipalities located wholly or partially within the basin. In
1990, the estimated population of the basin was 263,691 people. The most populated areas are
located north of the Winston-Salem/Greensboro area and around the larger municipalities in the
basin, such as Roanoke Rapids, Eden, Williamston and Plymouth. Population in Stokes and
Granville counties is projected to increase 25-30 percent from 1998 to 2018. Population in many
other counties along the North Carolina/Virginia border is projected to increase 15 to 20 percent
over the same twenty-year period.
There are 11 major reservoirs in the North Carolina portion of the basin. Most of them are
located in the upper portion of the basin on tributaries of the Dan and Roanoke Rivers (notably
Belews Lake, Hyco Lake and Mayo Reservoir). Three reservoirs, Kerr, Gaston and Roanoke
Rapids, are impoundments of the Roanoke River mainstem. They are managed by Dominion
and the US Army Corps of Engineers for electrical energy production and flood control. Flow
from these reservoirs directly influences the quality of water in the lower Roanoke River.
Assessment of Water Quality in the Roanoke River Basin
Surface waters are classified according to their best intended uses. Determining how well a
water supports its designated uses (use support status) is an important method of interpreting
water quality data and assessing water quality. Waters are rated fully supporting (FS), partially
supporting (PS) or not supporting (NS). The terms refer to whether the classified uses of the
water (i.e., aquatic life protection, recreation and water supply) are being met. For example,
waters classified for aquatic life protection and secondary recreation (Class C for freshwater or
SC for saltwater) are rated FS if data used to determine use support did not exceed specific
criteria. However, if these criteria were exceeded, then the waters would be rated as PS or NS,
depending on the degree of degradation. Waters rated PS or NS are considered to be impaired.
Waters lacking data, or having inconclusive data, are listed as not rated (NR).
Beginning in 2000 with the Roanoke River Basinwide Water Quality Plan, DWQ assesses
ecosystem health and human health risk through several use support categories. Six categories
Executive Summary xvi
are used to assess water quality under this approach: aquatic life/secondary recreation, fish
consumption, shellfish harvesting, primary recreation, water supply and "other" uses. Each of
these categories is related to the primary classifications applied to NC rivers and streams. A
single water could have more than one use support rating corresponding to one or more of the
multiple use support categories. For many waters, a use support category will not be applicable
(N/A) to the best use classification of that water (e.g., drinking water supply is not the best use of
a Class C water). The current method of determining use support differs from that done prior to
2000; in that, there is no longer an overall use support rating for a water.
The aquatic life/secondary recreation use support category is applied to all waters in North
Carolina. Approximately 51,405 acres of lakes were monitored in 1999. Only Roanoke Rapids
Lake (4,893 acres) is partially supporting the aquatic life/secondary recreation use support
category. All other lakes are fully supporting this category. Approximately 29 percent of total
stream miles (638 miles) in the Roanoke River basin were monitored for the protection of aquatic
life/secondary recreation by DWQ during this basinwide cycle. Impaired waters accounted for
2.6 percent of the total stream miles (monitored and evaluated) and 8.9 percent of monitored
stream miles. Habitat degradation, from a variety of sources, was the primary cause of
impairment.
Aquatic life in many swamp streams in the lower portion for the Roanoke River basin was
monitored during this basinwide cycle, but the aquatic life/secondary recreation category for
these streams is not rated. Currently, DWQ has draft criteria for evaluating swamp streams based
on benthic macroinvertebrate data; however, there has been insufficient sampling of reference
sites to assign bioclassifications and use the data for use support. A summary of current aquatic
life/secondary recreation use support ratings for monitored and evaluated streams in the Roanoke
River basin is presented in Table 1.
Table 1 Aquatic Life/Secondary Recreation Use Support Summary Information for Waters
in the Roanoke River Basin (1999)
Monitored and
Evaluated Streams*
Monitored
Streams Only**Aquatic Life/Secondary Recreation
Use Support Ratings Miles % Miles %
Fully Supporting 1113.7 50.3% 357.0 56.0%
Impaired 56.7 2.6% 56.7 8.9%
Partially Supporting 48.7 2.2% 48.7 7.6%
Not Supporting 8.0 0.4% 8.0 1.3%
Not Rated 1042.6 47.1% 223.9 35.1%
TOTAL 2213.0 637.6
* = Percent based on total of all streams, both monitored and evaluated. ** = Percent based on total of all monitored streams.
Like the aquatic life/secondary recreation use support category, the fish consumption use support
category also applies to all waters in the state. Approximately 14 percent of stream miles (308.0
miles) and more than 83 percent of lake acres (42,880 acres) in the basin were monitored for the
fish consumption category during this basinwide cycle. Fish consumption use support ratings are
Executive Summary xvii
based on fish consumption advisories issued by the NC Department of Health and Human
Services (DHHS). Currently, there is a statewide advisory limiting consumption of bowfin due
to excessive mercury concentrations. Because of this advisory, all waters in the state are
considered partially supporting the fish consumption use. However, many waters across the state
do not contain bowfin. Samples collected by DWQ in 1999 from some waters in the basin,
including the Dan River, Kerr Reservoir and Lake Gaston, revealed concentrations of metals and
PCBs in other fish species well below federal and state consumption criteria.
Table 2 presents a summary of current fish consumption use support ratings for monitored and
evaluated streams in the Roanoke River basin.
Table 2 Fish Consumption Use Support Summary Information for Waters in the Roanoke
River Basin (1999)
Monitored and
Evaluated Streams*
Monitored
Streams Only**Fish Consumption
Use Support Ratings Miles % Miles %
Fully Supporting 0.0 0.0
Impaired 2213.0 100% 308.0 100%
Partially Supporting 2199.7 99.4% 294.7 95.7%
Not Supporting 13.3 0.6% 13.3 4.3%
Not Rated 0.0 0% 0.0 0%
TOTAL 2213.0 308.0
* = Percent based on total of all streams, both monitored and evaluated. ** = Percent based on total of all monitored streams.
There are 120.2 stream miles currently classified for primary recreation (Class B) in the Roanoke
River basin. Approximately 15 percent were monitored by DWQ over the past five years, and all
are fully supporting the primary recreation use. A basinwide summary of current primary
recreation use support ratings is presented in Table 3.
Table 3 Primary Recreation Use Support Summary Information for Waters in the Roanoke
River Basin (1999)
Monitored and
Evaluated Streams*
Monitored
Streams Only**Primary Recreation
Use Support Ratings Miles % Miles %
Fully Supporting 18.5 15.4% 18.5 100%
Impaired 0.0 0% 0.0 0%
Not Rated 101.7 84.6% 0.0 0%
TOTAL 120.2 18.5
* = Percent based on total of all streams, both monitored and evaluated. ** = Percent based on total of all monitored streams.
Approximately 270 stream miles are currently classified for water supply (WS-I through WS-V)
in the Roanoke River basin. All were monitored within the past five years and all are fully
Executive Summary xviii
supporting the water supply use. A basinwide summary of current water supply use support
ratings is presented in Table 4.
Table 4 Water Supply Use Support Summary Information for Waters in the Roanoke
River Basin (1999)
Monitored and
Evaluated Streams*
Monitored
Streams Only**Water Supply
Use Support Ratings Miles % Miles %
Fully Supporting 270.4 100% 270.4 100%
Impaired 0.0 0% 0.0 0%
Not Rated 0.0 0% 0.0 0%
TOTAL 270.4 270.4
* = Percent based on total of all streams, both monitored and evaluated. ** = Percent based on total of all monitored streams.
All lakes that were assessed by DWQ are fully supporting both the primary recreation and water
supply use support categories.
Recommended Management Strategies for Restoring Impaired Waters
The long-range mission of basinwide planning is to provide a means of addressing the complex
problem of planning for increased development and economic growth while maintaining,
protecting and enhancing water quality and intended uses of the Roanoke River basin’s surface
waters.
Within this basinwide plan, DWQ presents management strategies and recommendations for
those waters considered to be impaired or that exhibit some notable water quality problem.
Table 5 presents impaired waters by subbasin, the potential sources of impairment and
summaries of the recommended management strategies.
Major water quality problems in the basin include habitat degradation and turbidity (affecting
aquatic life) and high levels of selenium, mercury and dioxin in fish tissue (affecting fish
consumption). Habitat degradation, including sedimentation, streambed scour and streambank
erosion, is primarily attributed to nonpoint source pollution (NPS). Sources of nonpoint source
pollution include runoff from construction sites, agricultural lands and urban areas, and
hydromodification. High levels of selenium and dioxin are attributed to historical point source
pollution, and high levels of mercury are likely from atmospheric sources.
For streams degraded by point source pollution, the plan presents a management strategy to
reduce the impacts from that pollutant source. The task of quantifying nonpoint sources of
pollution and developing management strategies for these impaired waters is very resource
intensive. This task is overwhelming, given the current limited resources of DWQ, other
agencies (e.g., Division of Land Resources, Division of Soil and Water Conservation,
Cooperative Extension Service, etc.) and local governments.
Executive Summary xix
Table 5 Monitored Impaired Waters within the Roanoke River Basin (as of 1999)*
Subbasin Name of
Water
Miles or
Acres
Use Support
Rating –
Category
Potential
Pollution
Sources+
Management Strategy or
Recommendation
03-02-01 Town Fork
Creek
8.0
miles
NS – Aquatic
Life/Secondary
Recreation
NP Local initiatives are needed to address nonpoint
source pollution in the watershed.
03-02-02
03-02-03
Dan River 14.2
miles
PS – Aquatic
Life/Secondary
Recreation
NP, P DWQ will work with DLR to evaluate turbidity
contributions of instream mining operations.
Local initiatives are needed to address nonpoint
source pollution in the watershed.
03-02-03 Smith
River
5.4
miles
PS – Aquatic
Life/Secondary
Recreation
NP, P DWQ will work with appropriate agencies to
address flow fluctuation issues. Local actions
needed to control stormwater.
03-02-05 Hyco Lake 3,750
acres
PS – Fish
Consumption
P DWQ will continue to monitor selenium
concentrations in fish tissue and further adjust
permit limits, if necessary.
03-02-05 Marlowe
Creek
10.9
miles
PS – Aquatic
Life/Secondary
Recreation
P, NP DWQ will work with Cogentrix to improve its
discharge and the Town of Roxboro. Local
actions needed to control stormwater.
03-02-06 Nutbush
Creek
4.6
miles
PS – Aquatic
Life/Secondary
Recreation
P, NP DWQ will work with the City of Henderson to
improve the WWTP discharge. Local actions
needed to control stormwater.
03-02-07 Smith
Creek
10.4
miles
PS – Aquatic
Life/Secondary
Recreation
NP Local initiatives are needed to address nonpoint
source pollution in the watershed.
03-02-08 Quankey
Creek
3.4
miles
PS – Aquatic
Life/Secondary
Recreation
P, NP DWQ will work with the Town of Halifax to
improve the WWTP discharge. DWQ will
continue to monitor this stream.
03-02-08 Roanoke
Rapids Lake
4,893
acres
PS – Aquatic
Life/Secondary
Recreation
NP DWQ will work with appropriate agencies and
citizens to control aquatic weeds. Local actions
needed to reduce nutrients and for a boater
education program.
03-02-08
03-02-09
Roanoke
River
137.8
miles
PS – Fish
Consumption
NP, P DWQ will continue to monitor mercury and
dioxin in fish tissue and work with point sources
as needed to achieve reductions.
03-02-09 Albemarle
Sound
2,586
acres
PS – Fish
Consumption
NP, P DWQ will continue to monitor mercury and
dioxin in fish tissue.
03-02-09 Welch Creek 13.3
miles
NS – Fish
Consumption
NP, P DWQ will continue to monitor mercury and
dioxin in fish tissue. Source of dioxin has been
removed.
03-02-10 Cashie River 54.6
miles
PS – Fish
Consumption
NP DWQ will continue to monitor mercury in fish
tissue.
Key: PS = Partially Supporting NP = Nonpoint Sources
NS = Not Supporting P = Point Sources
+ = Only limited progress towards developing and implementing nonpoint source reduction strategies for these
impaired waters can be expected without additional resources.
* = These waters are currently, or will be placed, on the §303(d) list, and a TMDL and/or management strategy will be
developed to address causes and sources of impairment.
DWQ plans to further evaluate impaired waters in the Roanoke River basin in conjunction with
other agencies that deal with nonpoint source pollution issues and develop management
Executive Summary xx
strategies for a portion of these impaired waters for the next Roanoke River Basinwide Water
Quality Plan (2006).
Addressing Waters on the State’s §303(d) List
For the next several years, addressing water quality impairment in waters that are on the state’s
§303(d) list will be a DWQ priority. Section 303(d) of the federal Clean Water Act requires
states to develop a list of waters not meeting water quality standards or which have impaired
uses. The waters in the Roanoke River basin that are on this list are discussed in the individual
subbasin descriptions in Section B. States are also required to develop Total Maximum Daily
Loads (TMDLs) or management strategies for §303(d) listed waters to address impairment. EPA
issued guidance in August 1997 that called for states to develop schedules for developing
TMDLs for all waters on the §303(d) list within 8-13 years.
There are approximately 2,387 impaired stream miles on the draft 2000 §303(d) list in NC. The
rigorous and demanding task of developing TMDLs for each listed water during a 13-year time
frame will require the focus of many resources. It will be a priority for North Carolina’s water
quality programs over the next several years to develop TMDLs for §303(d) listed waters.
Challenges Related to Achieving Water Quality Improvements
To achieve the goal of restoring impaired waters throughout the basin, DWQ will need to work
more closely with other state agencies and stakeholders to identify and control pollutants. The
costs of restoration will be high, but several programs exist to provide funding for restoration
efforts. These programs include the Clean Water Management Trust Fund, the NC Agricultural
Cost Share Program, the Wetlands Restoration Program and the federally funded Conservation
Reserve Enhancement Program.
With increased development occurring, there will be significant challenges ahead in balancing
economic growth with the protection of water quality in this basin. Point source impacts on
surface waters can be measured and addressed through the basinwide planning process.
Nonpoint sources of pollution can be identified through the basinwide plan, but actions to
address these impacts must be taken at the local level. Such actions should include:
development and enforcement of local erosion control ordinances; requirement of stormwater
best management practices for existing and new development; development and enforcement of
buffer ordinances; and land use planning that assesses impacts on natural resources. This
basinwide plan presents many water quality initiatives and accomplishments that are underway
within the basin. These actions provide a foundation on which future initiatives can be built.
Executive Summary 21