B14_Roanoke

BASIN 14 ROANOKE
BASIN DESCRIPTION
The Roanoke Basin in North Carolina comprises
3,530 square miles of the nearly 10,000 square mile Roanoke
River Basin that straddles the North Carolina-Virginia border.
The mainstem of the Roanoke begins in the Blue Ridge
Mountains of Virginia and flows generally southeasterly to
Albemarle Sound. The Dan and Hyco Rivers drain a stretch
of land along the Virginia state line from northeastern Surry
County to Kerr Lake in Granville County before they join the
Roanoke. Leaving Kerr Lake the river flows into Lake Gaston
and then Roanoke Rapids Lake. The water releases from all
three lakes are used to generate electricity. Releases from
Roanoke Rapids Lake are also managed to protect water
quality and maintain aquatic habitat downstream as well as
power generation. Below Roanoke Rapids the river regains its
riverine characteristics and becomes a meandering coastal
plain waterway.
WATER USE
Factors Affecting Water Demand
This basin has about 4% of the state’s residents and
contains all or part of 24 municipalities in 16 counties. One of
the state’s 12 major metropolitan areas overlaps with the
headwaters of this basin. From 1990 to 1997 year-round
population in three counties in this basin grew by 10% or
more. Over the same period, three counties in the lower basin
had zero or declining population changes.
Total Water Use in Basin
Total water use in the basin was estimated at 77.6
million gallons per day (mgd), with about 56% coming from
surface water sources. The U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS)
1995 summary of water use estimated total basin population
at 283,410, with total residential demand estimated at 17.3
mgd. Fifty-one percent of the residential demand was served
by public water systems. Overall, public water systems
supplied 25.8 mgd from surface water and 6.5 mgd from
ground water for both residential and non-residential uses.
The remaining residential water demand was met by 8.5 mgd
of self-supplied ground water. An additional 36.7 mgd of self-
supplied water was used for non-residential uses.

Local Water Supply Plans (LWSPs)
Units of local government that supply or plan to
supply water to the public are required to develop a LWSP.
The Division of Water Resources (DWR) reviews LWSPs and
maintains a database of the LWSP information. This summary
is based on data contained in the 1997 LWSPs.
LWSPs were submitted by 36 public water systems
using water from this basin. These systems supplied 29 mgd
of water to 124,389 persons. The following discussion and
table summarize the LWSP population served with water from
the Roanoke basin and its water use for 1997.
1997 LWSP System Water Use from Basin (mgd)
Sub-basin LWSP
Population
Residential
Use
Non-residential
Use
Total
Use*
Roanoke River 124,389 8.49 16.30 29.0
*Total Use includes unaccounted-for water and system process water.
Residential uses accounted for 29% of water use in
these systems while non-residential water use accounted for
56% and 12% was unaccounted-for water.
Considerable growth in population and water use is
expected in this basin. LWSP systems expect to supply water
to171,132 persons by the year 2020, a 38% increase over 1997
levels. Their water demand is projected to increase from 29 mgd
to 45 mgd by 2020, a 55% increase.
In the 1997 LWSPs, two of the 36 systems using water
from this basin reported that their peak demands will exceed
their water treatment capacity by 2010.
Water systems should maintain adequate water
supplies and manage water demands to ensure that average
daily use does not exceed 80% of their available supply. Data
for 1997 indicated that five of the 36 LWSP systems in this
basin had average demand above this threshold. By 2020, four
systems project demand levels that will exceed 80% of their
available supply.
Self-supplied Water
Not everyone gets water from a public water system.
Many households and some commercial and industrial
operations supply their own water. The USGS estimated that
self-supplied users, excluding power generating facilities,
accounted for 45 mgd of the 78 mgd total of water used from
this basin, as shown in the table below. Industrial uses
comprised 37% of self-supplied water used, followed by
irrigation (32%), domestic (19%), livestock (11%), and
commercial (1%) uses.
1995 USGS Estimated Self-supplied Water Use in mgd
Sub-basin Domestic Livestock Industrial Commercial Irrigation Total
Roanoke River 8.52 5.00 16.72 0.46 14.54 45.24
Registered Water Withdrawals
Anyone withdrawing 1.0 mgd or more of surface or
ground water for agricultural uses or 100,000 gallons per day
for other uses is required to register that withdrawal with DWR.
Registered withdrawals in this basin are summarized in the
table below.
Registered Water Withdrawals for 1999
Sub-basin Agricultural
# mgd
Non-agricultural
# mgd
Total
# mgd
Roanoke River 18 36.5 20 103 38 13945
*Excludes water use for power generation.
All of the registered agricultural water use in this
basin is for crop irrigation. The non-agricultural water users
include one golf course, three mining operations, seven
industries, and nine private water systems. The two largest
industries used an average of 65 and 26 mgd of water.
Three of the industrial users and the golf course are
permittees in the existing Capacity Use Area #1.
WATER AVAILABILITY
Surface water is used to meet the majority of overall
water needs in the Roanoke River Basin, especially in the
upper basin. LWSPs indicate that eight water systems in this
basin withdraw about 28 mgd of surface water. Surface water
will continue to be the primary source of water for most of the
residents of the basin. Local water supply plans show that
six systems rely on reservoirs for all or part of their water
supply. The combined demand on these reservoirs averaged
about 14 mgd in 1997. The estimated available supply from
these reservoirs is 64 mgd.
Five of the surface water systems submitting local
water supply plans have run-of-river intakes that supplied
about 13.7 mgd of water in 1997. The available supply from
these intakes, based on information reported in local water
supply plans, is about 49 mgd.
Ground water is an important water source for
systems in the lower Roanoke Basin, which extends into the
coastal plain. Sixteen LWSP systems supplied 2.7 mgd of
ground water to their customers in 1997. The combined 12-
hour yield reported by these systems is 7.2 mgd.
The water-bearing geologic deposits of the coastal
plain form a regional aquifer system that has historically
provided plentiful, high-quality, low-cost water. However,
ground water levels in some of the major aquifers have been
declining because of over-pumping.
To ensure that ground water remains a reliable long-
term water source in the Coastal Plain, the Environmental
Management Commission adopted rules in December 2000
establishing a Capacity Use Area for 15 counties in the
Central Coastal Plain, including Martin and Washington. If
approved by the legislature in 2002, permits would be
required for all ground water withdrawals over 100,000 gallons
per day within these counties. Pumping from the Black Creek
and Upper Cape Fear aquifers would be limited or reduced in
some areas. Affected water users will need to manage water
demand and develop alternative sources of supply to offset
these reductions.
INTERBASIN TRANSFERS OF SURFACE WATER
Across the state many water users and systems move
water between sub-basins to meet their needs. Regulatory
approval is generally needed for transfers of 2.0 mgd or more.
The table below summarizes the identified interbasin transfers
in 1997 associated with this basin.
Estimated Interbasin Transfers based on 1997 data
Sub-basin Number mgd OUT mgd IN
Roanoke River 9 1.97 0.39
The most significant interbasin transfer out of the
basin is not reflected in this table–the 60-mgd withdrawal from
Lake Gaston by Virginia Beach, Virginia. Virginia Beach began
pumping in 1998 following a very lengthy and contested Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission approval process, during which
North Carolina opposed the withdrawals.
SUMMARY OF INFORMATION FROM 1997 LWSPs
!Total per capita water use for the basin was 234 gallons per
day (gpd) in 1997 and is projected to increase to 237 gpd by
2010.
!24 systems are not connected to another water supply system
capable of supply water in an emergency.
!15 water systems purchased a total of 5.265 mgd of water from
this basin. Two of these systems had no purchase contract.
!Nine systems rely on purchase water as their sole supply.
!The systems used 28 mgd from surface water and 2.7 mgd of
ground water.
!The reported raw water supply was 113 mgd of surface water
and a 12-hour groundwater supply of 7.2 mgd.
!There are five county-wide systems and two regional water
supply systems.
!Nine systems were planning additional supplies totaling 11
mgd in the 1997 LWSPs.
!The systems are projecting significant growth, 38% in
population and 55% in demand, by 2020.
!About 0.4 mgd of additional water supply will be needed by
water systems to ensure that water demands in 2010 do not
exceed 80% of available supply.
!Systems reporting high Demand-to-Supply Ratios:
1997 2010
Demand exceeds available supply 1 1
Demand exceeds 80% of available supply 5 4
January 2001
State Water Supply Plan
Division of Water Resources, DENR
ROANOKE RIVER BASIN (14)
1997 and 2010 Population and Water Use as reported by LWSP systems using water from this basin.
Water systems showing "Demand as % of Supply" above 80% should be actively managing demand and pursuing additional supplies.mgd = million gallons per day
Water Systems by County Water Source or Supplier 1997 2010 1997 2010 1997 2010 1997 2010
BERTIE
BERTIE CO RWS Upper Cape Fear Aquifer 6076 8870 0.294 0.539 1.131 2.139 26%25%
KELFORD Upper Cape Fear & Beaufort Aquifers 189 210 0.014 0.021 0.058 0.058 24%36%
LEWISTON-WOODVILLE Upper Cape Fear Aquifer 1022 980 0.121 0.119 0.216 0.216 56%55%
ROXOBEL Upper Cape Fear Aquifer 290 315 0.023 0.024 0.043 0.043 53%56%
WINDSOR Upper Cape Fear & Black Creek Aquifers 2450 2800 0.387 0.477 0.9 0.9 43%53%
CASWELL
MILTON Bedrock Wells 179 189 0.017 0.017 0.108 0.108 16%16%
YANCEYVILLE County Line Cr. Res. 2421 2540 0.231 0.55 6.3 6.3 4%9%
GRANVILLE
OXFORD KERR LAKE RWS 10000 15000 0 0 2 3 67%66%
STOVALL Bedrock Wells 500 700 0.026 0.053 0.092 0.092 28%58%
HALIFAX
ROANOKE RAPIDS SD Roanoke Rapids Lake 22271 23492 5.517 6.3 12.5 12.5 44%50%
WELDON Roanoke River 1508 1588 0.786 1.197 14 14 6%9%
MARTIN (in proposed Central Coastal Plain Capacity Use Area)
HAMILTON Upper Cape Fear Aquifer 544 618 0.05 0.061 0.324 0.324 15%19%
JAMESVILLE Black Creek Aquifer 632 645 0.055 0.062 0.252 0.252 22%25%
MARTIN CO WSD 1 HAMILTON, Ground water, WILLIAMSTON 0 2535 0 0.183 0 0.81 0%23%
MARTIN CO WSD 2 Ground water, BEAR GRASS, WILLIAMSTON 0 3619 0 0.432 0 1.15 0%32%
WILLIAMSTON Black Creek, Beaufort, & UCape Fear Aquifers 6274 9477 0.923 1.788 1.674 2.394 55%75%
NORTHAMPTON
JACKSON Lower Cape Fear Aquifer 664 620 0.097 0.12 0.216 0.216 45%56%
NORTHAMPTON-GASTON ROANOKE RAPIDS SD 900 1050 0.132 0.204 0.142 0.292 93%70%
NORTHAMPTON-LAKE GASTON Lower Cape Fear Aquifer 1800 2400 0.087 0.082 0.191 0.191 46%43%
NORTHAMPTON-PROGRESSIVE Upper Cape Fear Aquifer / WELDON 684 875 0 0 0.151 0.151 37%44%
PERSON
ROXBORO Stories, Satterfield,S.Hyco Creeks & Lake Roxboro 10847 11625 3.464 4.18 11 11 32%38%
ROCKINGHAM
EDEN Dan River 15500 17310 12.544 13.322 24.17 24.17 52%55%
MADISON Dan River 2482 2678 0.512 0.704 15 15 3%5%
MAYODAN Mayo River 2553 2900 1.665 3.566 10 10 17%36%
STONEVILLE MAYODAN 1107 1200 0.184 0.209 1.008 1.008 18%21%
STOKES
DANBURY Bedrock Wells 175 220 0.029 0.041 0.072 0.072 41%56%
STOKES C0 SE MADISON 0 0 0 0 0 0 0%0%
WALNUT COVE Bedrock Wells 1147 2000 0.203 0.399 0.198 0.198 106%202%
VANCE
HENDERSON KERR LAKE RWS 16639 19256 2.66 6.09 6 9 44%68%
KERR LAKE RWS Kerr Lake 0 0 4.628 11.137 20 20 23%56%
KITRELL WA KERR LAKE RWS 1000 1200 0.078 0.093 0.079 0.116 100%80%
WARREN
NORLINA WARREN CO 1034 1100 0.19 0.198 0.2 0.2 95%99%
WARREN CO KERR LAKE RWS 500 4900 0.708 1.301 2 2 35%65%
WARRENTON WARREN CO 2650 2757 0.346 0.37 0.4 0.4 87%93%
WASHINGTON (in proposed Central Coastal Plain Capacity Use Area)
PLYMOUTH Castle Hayne & Yorktown Aquifer 4328 4921 0.471 0.405 1.675 1.675 28%24%
WASHINGTON CO CRESWELL / ROPER / PLYMOUTH 5523 7070 0.353 0.468 0.532 1 66%47%
Year-round Service Population Average Daily Demand (mgd)Available Supply (mgd)Demand as % of Supply