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Home My WebLink AboutTable of ContentsTABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary............................................................................................................................x Introduction.......................................................................................................................................xx What is Basinwide Water Quality Planning?........................................................................xx Goals of Basinwide Water Quality Planning........................................................................xx Benefits of Basinwide Water Quality Planning.................................................................xxii Division of Water Quality Functions and Locations .........................................................xxii How You Can Get Involved ..............................................................................................xxii Some Other Reference Materials.......................................................................................xxii How to Read the Basinwide Plan......................................................................................xxiii Chapter 1.............................................................................................................................................1 French Broad River Basin Subbasin 04-03-01 Including the West Fork, North Fork and Middle Forks of the French Broad River, Little River, French Broad River, Peter Weaver and Morgan Mill Creeks 1.1 Subbasin Overview........................................................................................................1 1.2 Use Support Assessment Summary ...............................................................................5 1.3 Status and Recommendations of Previously and Newly Impaired Waters....................5 1.3.1 West Fork French Broad River [AU# 6-2-(0.5)b].............................................5 1.3.2 Peter Weaver Creek [AU# 6-10a and b]............................................................7 1.3.3 Morgan Mill Creek [AU# 6-10-1a, b and c].....................................................8 1.4 Status and Recommendations for Waters with Noted Impacts......................................9 1.4.1 Little River [AU# 6-38-(20)].............................................................................9 1.5 Additional Water Quality Issues within Subbasin 04-03-01 .......................................10 1.5.1 Surface Waters Identified for Potential Reclassification.................................10 Chapter 2...........................................................................................................................................11 French Broad River Basin Subbasin 04-03-02 Including the French Broad River, Hominy and South Hominy Creeks, Mud Creek Watershed, Cane Creek, Newfound Creek, Reems Creek, Sandymush Creek, Bent Creek, Swannanoa River, Ross Creek, Lake Julian, Moore Creek, Canie, Burnett Reservoir and Lake Kenilworth 2.1 Subbasin Overview......................................................................................................11 2.2 Use Support Assessment Summary .............................................................................17 2.3 Status and Recommendations of Previously and Newly Impaired Waters..................17 2.3.1 Mud Creek Watershed .....................................................................................18 Mud Creek [AU# 6-55c and d]........................................................................18 Bat Fork [AU# 6-55-8-1b]...............................................................................21 Devils Fork [AU# 6-55-8-2b]..........................................................................22 Table of Contents i Clear Creek [AU# 6-55-11-(1)c and 6-55-11-(5)]...........................................23 2.3.2 Hominy Creek [AU# 6-76d]............................................................................23 2.3.3 French Broad River [AU# 6-(54.5)b, d and e].................................................24 2.3.4 Swannanoa River [AU# 6-78a and c]..............................................................26 2.3.5 Newfound Creek [AU# 6-84a, b, c and d].......................................................29 2.3.6 Ross Creek [AU#6-78-23b and c]....................................................................31 2.3.7 Cane Creek [AU#6-57-(9)a]............................................................................32 2.3.8 Gash Creek [AU #6-47]...................................................................................32 2.3.9 Mill Pond Creek [AU #6-51]...........................................................................33 2.3.10 South Hominy Creek [AU# 6-76-5]................................................................33 2.4 Status and Recommendations for Waters with Noted Impacts....................................34 2.4.1 Reems Creek [AU# 6-87-(10)]........................................................................34 2.4.2 Gill Branch [AU# 6-76-12]..............................................................................35 2.4.3 Bent Creek [AU #6-67-(7)]..............................................................................35 2.4.4 North Fork Swannanoa River [AU #6-78-11-(13)].........................................35 2.4.5 Flat Creek [AU #6-78-6-(4)]............................................................................36 2.4.6 Flat Creek [AU #6-88].....................................................................................36 2.4.7 Moore Creek [AU# 6-76-8].............................................................................36 2.4.8 Canie Creek [AU# 6-76-12].............................................................................36 2.5 Additional Water Quality Issues within Subbasin 04-03-02 .......................................37 2.5.1 Surface Waters Identified for Potential Reclassification.................................37 Chapter 3...........................................................................................................................................38 French Broad River Basin Subbasin 04-03-03 Including the Davidson River, Boylston Creek, Mills River and North Fork Mills River 3.1 Subbasin Overview......................................................................................................38 3.2 Use Support Assessment Summary .............................................................................41 3.3 Status and Recommendations of Previously and Newly Impaired Waters..................41 3.3.1 Mills River [AU# 6-54-(1)a and b, 6-54-(4.5), 6-54-(5) and 6-54-(6.5)]........41 3.3.2 Brandy Branch [AU # 6-54-6].........................................................................46 3.4 Status and Recommendations for Waters with Noted Impacts....................................46 3.4.1 Davidson River [AU # 6-34-(1), 6-34-(15.5), 6-34-(17), 6-34-(21)]...............46 3.4.2 Boylston Creek [AU#6-52-(6.5)].....................................................................47 3.5 Additional Water Quality Issues within Subbasin 04-03-03 .......................................48 3.5.1 Surface Waters Identified for Potential Reclassification.................................48 Chapter 4...........................................................................................................................................49 French Broad River Basin Subbasin 04-03-04 Including the French Broad River, Little Ivy Creek (River), Ivy Creek, California Creek and Bull Creek 4.1 Subbasin Overview......................................................................................................49 4.2 Use Support Assessment Summary .............................................................................53 4.3 Status and Recommendations of Previously and Newly Impaired Waters..................53 4.3.1 Little Ivy Creek (River) [AU # 6-96-10a]........................................................53 Table of Contents ii 4.4 Status and Recommendations for Waters with Noted Impacts....................................56 4.4.1 California Creek [AU# 6-96-2a and b]............................................................56 4.4.2 French Broad River [AU# 6-(54.5)f]..............................................................56 4.4.3 Ivy Creek (River) [AU# 6-96-(11.3) and 6-96-(11.7)]....................................56 4.4.4 Bull Creek [AU# 6-96-16]..............................................................................57 4.5 Additional Water Quality Issues within Subbasin 04-03-04 .......................................57 4.5.1 Subbasin Concerns and Priorities ....................................................................57 4.5.2 Surface Waters Identified for Potential Reclassification.................................58 Chapter 5...........................................................................................................................................59 French Broad River Basin Subbasin 04-03-05 Including the Pigeon River, West and East Fork Pigeon River, Richland Creek, Fines Creek, Crabtree Creek, Hyatt Creek, Plott Creek, Raccoon Branch, Hurricane Creek, Lake Junaluska and Walters Lake 5.1 Subbasin Overview......................................................................................................59 5.2 Use Support Assessment Summary .............................................................................63 5.3 Status and Recommendations of Previously and Newly Impaired Waters..................63 5.3.1 Pigeon River [AU# 5-(7)b]..............................................................................64 5.3.2 Waterville (Walters) Lake [AU # 5-(7)e]........................................................67 5.3.3 Richland Creek [AU # 5-16-(1)a, b, c, d and e; 5-16-(16)a]...........................68 5.3.4 Lake Junaluska [AU # 5-16-(1)f].....................................................................69 5.3.5 Fines Creek [AU # 5-32]..................................................................................69 5.3.6 Raccoon Creek [AU # 5-16-14].......................................................................70 5.3.7 Hyatt Creek [AU # 5-16-6a and b]..................................................................71 5.4 Status and Recommendations for Waters with Noted Impacts....................................71 5.4.1 Plott Creek [AU # 5-16-9]...............................................................................71 5.4.2 Jonathan Creek [AU # 5-26-(7)]......................................................................72 5.4.3 Crabtree Creek [AU# 5-22].............................................................................72 5.5 Additional Water Quality Issues within Subbasin 04-03-05 .......................................73 5.5.1 Surface Waters Identified for Potential Reclassification.................................73 Chapter 6...........................................................................................................................................74 French Broad River Basin Subbasin 04-03-06 Including the Nolichucky River, North and South Toe Rivers, Big Rock Creek, Jacks Creek and Right Fork Cane Creek 6.1 Subbasin Overview......................................................................................................74 6.2 Use Support Assessment Summary .............................................................................77 6.3 Status and Recommendations of Previously and Newly Impaired Waters..................77 6.3.1 Right Fork Cane Creek (AU#7-2-59-1)...........................................................77 6.3.2 Jacks Creek [AU# 7-2-63]...............................................................................78 6.3.3 North Toe River [AU#7-2-(27.7)b].................................................................79 6.4 Status and Recommendations for Waters with Noted Impacts....................................80 6.4.1 Big Rock Creek [AU#7-2-64]..........................................................................80 6.5 Additional Water Quality Issues within Subbasin 04-03-06 .......................................80 Table of Contents iii 6.5.1 Surface Waters Identified for Potential Reclassification.................................80 Chapter 7...........................................................................................................................................82 French Broad River Basin Subbasin 04-03-07 Including the Little Creek, Bald Mountain Creek, Cane River and Price Creek 7.1 Subbasin Overview......................................................................................................82 7.2 Use Support Assessment Summary .............................................................................85 7.3 Status and Recommendations of Previously and Newly Impaired Waters..................86 7.3.1 Little Creek (AU# 7-3-33)...............................................................................86 7.3.2 Cane River [AU#7-3-(13.7)b]..........................................................................86 7.4 Status and Recommendations for Waters with Noted Impacts....................................87 7.4.1 Price Creek (AU# 7-3-21)................................................................................87 7.4.2 Bald Mountain Creek (AU# 7-3-32)................................................................87 7.5 Additional Water Quality Issues within Subbasin 04-03-07 .......................................87 7.5.1 Bald Creek (AU#7-3-22).................................................................................88 7.5.2 Straight Pipes...................................................................................................89 7.5.3 Surface Waters Identified for Potential Reclassification.................................89 Chapter 8...........................................................................................................................................90 North Carolina Water Quality Standards and Classifications 8.1 Description of Surface Water Classifications and Standards ......................................90 8.1.1 Statewide Classifications .................................................................................90 8.1.2 Statewide Water Quality Standards .................................................................91 8.2 Reclassification of Surface Waters..............................................................................94 8.2.1 Pending and Recent Reclassifications in the French Broad River Basin.........94 Chapter 9...........................................................................................................................................96 Population Growth, Land Cover Changes and Water Quality 9.1 General Sources of Pollution.......................................................................................96 9.2 Managing the Impacts of Growth, Development, and Stormwater Runoff.................97 9.2.1 Introduction......................................................................................................97 9.2.2 Effects of Growth and Development in the French Broad River Basin ..........97 9.2.3 The Role of Local Governments......................................................................98 9.2.4 Maintain and Develop Riparian Buffers ........................................................100 9.2.5 Protecting Headwaters...................................................................................100 9.2.6 Reduce Impacts of Future Development........................................................102 Chapter 10.......................................................................................................................................103 Water Quality Stressors 10.1 Stressor Identification................................................................................................103 10.1.1 Introduction and Overview ............................................................................103 10.1.2 Stressor Sources.............................................................................................103 10.2 Habitat Degradation...................................................................................................103 Table of Contents iv 10.2.1 Sedimentation ................................................................................................104 10.2.2 Loss of Riparian Vegetation ..........................................................................107 10.2.3 Loss of Instream Organic Microhabitats........................................................108 10.2.4 Channelization ...............................................................................................108 10.2.5 Recommendations for Reducing Habitat Degradation ..................................109 10.3 Fecal Coliform Bacteria.............................................................................................110 Chapter 11.......................................................................................................................................112 Agriculture and Water Quality 11.1 Animal Operations.....................................................................................................112 11.2 Impacted Streams in Agricultural Areas....................................................................113 11.3 Agricultural Best Management Practices Funding Opportunities .............................114 11.3.1 USDA – NRCS Environmental Quality Improvement Program (EQIP).......114 11.3.2 NC Agriculture Cost Share Program .............................................................114 11.3.3 Agricultural Sediment Initiative ....................................................................115 Chapter 12.......................................................................................................................................116 Forestry in the French Broad River Basin 12.1 Forestland Ownership................................................................................................116 12.1.1 Forest Management........................................................................................116 12.1.2 Urban Forestry ...............................................................................................117 12.1.3 Forest Utilization ...........................................................................................117 12.2 State Forests (SFs)/Educational State Forests (ESFs)...............................................117 12.3 Forestry Water Quality Regulations in North Carolina.............................................117 12.3.1 Forest Practices Guidelines for Water Quality (FPGs)..................................117 12.3.2 Other Forestry Related Water Quality Regulations .......................................118 12.3.3 Water Quality Foresters.................................................................................118 12.3.4 Forestry Best Management Practices (BMPs)...............................................118 Chapter 13.......................................................................................................................................120 Wastewater and Stormwater Programs 13.1 NPDES Wastewater Discharge Permit Summary......................................................120 13.2 DWQ Stormwater Programs ......................................................................................121 13.2.1 NPDES Phase I ..............................................................................................121 13.2.2 NPDES Phase II.............................................................................................122 13.2.3 State Stormwater Program .............................................................................122 13.3 Water Supply Watershed Stormwater Rules..............................................................123 13.4 Septic Systems and Straight Piping ...........................................................................125 Chapter 14.......................................................................................................................................127 Water Resources 14.1 River Basin Hydrologic Units....................................................................................127 Table of Contents v 14.2 Minimum Streamflow................................................................................................128 14.3 Interbasin Transfers ...................................................................................................131 14.4 Water Quality Issues Related to Drought ..................................................................131 Chapter 15.......................................................................................................................................133 Natural Resources 15.1 Ecological Significance of the French Broad River Basin ........................................133 15.2 Rare Aquatic and Wetland-Dwelling Animal Species...............................................133 15.3 Significant Natural Heritage Areas in the French Broad River Basin .......................135 15.4 Significant Aquatic Habitats in French Broad River Basin.......................................136 15.5 Public Conservation Lands ........................................................................................139 Chapter 16.......................................................................................................................................140 Water Quality Initiatives 16.1 The Importance of Local Initiatives...........................................................................140 16.2 Federal Initiatives.......................................................................................................144 16.2.1 Clean Water Act – Section 319 Program.......................................................144 16.3 State Initiatives...........................................................................................................146 16.3.1 North Carolina Ecosystem Enhancement Program........................................146 16.3.2 Clean Water Management Trust Fund...........................................................147 References.......................................................................................................................................155 Table of Contents vi APPENDICES I Population and Growth Trends in the French Broad River Basin II Local Governments and Planning Jurisdictions in the French Broad River Basin III Land Cover in the French Broad River Basin IV DWQ Water Quality Monitoring Programs in the French Broad River Basin V Other Water Quality Data in the French Broad River Basin VI NPDES Discharges and Individual Stormwater Permits in the French Broad River Basin VII 303(d) Listing and Reporting Methodology VIII French Broad River Basin Nonpoint Source Program Description and Contacts IX French Broad River Basin Workshop Summaries X Use Support Methodology and Use Support Ratings XI Glossary of Terms and Acronyms Appendices vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 General Map of the Entire French Broad River Basin.............................................xviii Figure 2 General Map of the French Broad River Basin in North Carolina ............................xix Figure 3 Basinwide Planning Schedule (2002 to 2007).............................................................xx Figure 4 Division of Water Quality Regional Offices ...........................................................xxiv Figure 5 French Broad River Subbasin 04-03-01 ........................................................................2 Figure 6 French Broad River Subbasin 04-03-02 ......................................................................12 Figure 7 French Broad River Subbasin 04-03-03 ......................................................................39 Figure 8 French Broad River Subbasin 04-03-04 ......................................................................50 Figure 9 French Broad River Subbasin 04-03-05 ......................................................................60 Figure 10 French Broad River Subbasin 04-03-06 ......................................................................75 Figure 11 French Broad River Subbasin 04-03-07 ......................................................................83 Figure 12 ORWs and HWQs in the French Broad River Basin...................................................92 Figure 13 Water Supply Watersheds in the French Broad River Basin .......................................95 Figure 14 Diagram of Headwater Streams within a Watershed Boundary................................101 Figure 15 Ownership of Forestland in the French Broad River Basin.......................................116 Figure 16 French Broad River Basin Significant Natural Heritage Areas, Significant Aquatic Habitats and Public Conservation Lands .....................................................137 Figure 17 NCEEP Targeted Watersheds Map of the French Broad River Basin.......................151 List of Figures viii LIST OF TABLES Table 1 Impaired Waters Monitored in the French Broad River Basin (1997 to 2002).........xiv Table 2 Basinwide Planning Schedule (2000 to 2007)...........................................................xxi Table 3 Five-Year Process for Development of an Individual Basinwide Plan .....................xxi Table 4 DWQ Assessment And Use Support Ratings Summary For Monitored Waters in Subbasin 04-03-01.....................................................................................................3 Table 5 Summary of Use Support Ratings by Category in Subbasin 04-03-01 .........................6 Table 6 DWQ Assessment and Use Support Ratings Summary of Monitored Waters in Subbasin 04-03-02 .......................................................................................................13 Table 7 Summary of Use Support Ratings by Category in Subbasin 04-03-02 .......................18 Table 8 DWQ Assessment and Use Support Ratings Summary for Monitored Waters in Subbasin 04-03-03...................................................................................................40 Table 9 Summary of Use Support Ratings by Category in Subbasin 04-03-03 .......................42 Table 10 DWQ Assessment and Use Support Ratings Summary for Monitored Waters in Subbasin 04-03-04...................................................................................................51 Table 11 Summary of Use Support Ratings by Category in Subbasin 04-03-04 .......................54 Table 12 DWQ Assessment and Use Support Ratings Summary for Monitored Waters in Subbasin 04-03-05...................................................................................................61 Table 13 Summary of Use Support Ratings by Category in Subbasin 04-03-05 .......................64 Table 14 DWQ Assessment and Use Support Ratings Summary for Monitored Waters in Subbasin 04-03-06...................................................................................................76 Table 15 Summary of Use Support Ratings by Category in Subbasin 04-03-06 .......................78 Table 16 DWQ Assessment and Use Support Ratings Summary for Monitored Waters in Subbasin 04-03-07...................................................................................................84 Table 17 Summary of Use Support Ratings by Use Category in Subbasin 04-03-07 ................85 Table 18 Primary and Supplemental Surface Water Classifications ..........................................90 Table 19 Registered Animal Operations in the French Broad River Basin (September 2003)..........................................................................................................................113 Table 20 Summary of Agricultural Sediment Initiative Surveys..............................................115 Table 21 Summary of NPDES Dischargers and Permitted Flows for the French Broad River Basin (September 2003)...................................................................................121 Table 22 Communities in the French Broad River Subject to Stormwater Requirements .......124 Table 23 Results of Recent WaDE Surveys in the French Broad River Basin.........................126 Table 24 Hydrologic Subdivisions in the French Broad River Basin.......................................127 Table 25 Estimated Interbasin Transfers in the French Broad River Basin (1997)..................131 Table 26 List of Rare Animals Associated with Aquatic and Wetland Habitats in the French Broad River Basin (September 2003)............................................................133 Table 27 Local Water Quality Initiatives..................................................................................141 Table 28 Projects Funded Through Clean Water Act Section 319 ...........................................145 Table 29 NCEEP Targeted Local Watersheds (2004)..............................................................148 Table 30 Projects in the French Broad River Basin Funded by the Clean Water Management Trust Fund (December 2003)...............................................................152 List of Tables ix