U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

USGS Fact Sheet 034-99

November 1999

North Carolina

USGS Water Web Site is a “Hit”

For more than 100 years, the U.S.

Geological Survey (USGS), in

cooperation with the North Carolina

Department of Environment and

Natural Resources (NCDENR), the

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

(USACE), and other cooperators,

has provided streamflow data to the

citizens of North Carolina. The World

Wide Web now makes it possible to

deliver more data faster. The North

Carolina USGS Web site at http://

nc.water.usgs.gov/ provides access

to project information, publications,

and near real-time streamflow and

water-quality data. Monthly use of

the Web site increased from 3,500 in

July 1995 to more than 120,000 in

July 1998, with as many as 12,000

requests for information automatically answered by Web information

per day.

Since 1995, the number of satellitelinked stream gages (fig. 1) and

water-quality monitors in North

Carolina has increased from 55

to 137. A special State appropriation

made it possible to equip more than

30 additional sites for satellite data

transmission during fiscal year 1999.

Access to these data on the Web

allows the USGS to serve a larger

customer base, including river rafters,

landowners, environmentalists, research scientists, and water managers.

Shoreline Erosion and Nearshore

Processes

The USGS is studying areas of storminduced erosion along the highly

developed coast of northern Dare

County. Waves and currents move

underlying sand, which causes beach

buildup and erosion. These physical

processes limit the ability of coastal

managers to predict the evolution of

beaches and coastlines.

Leading coastal scientists spent the

1997 summer and fall participating in

SandyDuck 97, a field experiment

designed to gather information about

natural processes that cause beaches

to change. SandyDuck was sponsored

by the USGS, the USACE, and the

Office of Naval Research and was

hosted at the U.S. Army Engineer

Waterways Experiment Station Field

Research Facility. In addition to

Federal researchers, scientists from

more than 15 academic institutions

participated in deploying more than

400 sensors to measure wind, waves,

currents, water levels, sediment

transport, and beach response.

USGS researchers used a global

positioning system to map the

shoreline along a 30-mile stretch of

barrier island coast, and used a

scanning airborne laser system

(LIDAR) to map beach topography

(fig. 2) and high-precision sensors to

measure wave and velocity fields and

study the development of nearshore

currents. The results of the daily

mapping indicate that shoreline

change is extremely rapid and highly

variable along the barrier island coast.

Further investigation is needed to

determine why shoreline response

varies dramatically along this apparently uniform reach of coastline. The

LIDAR mapping, conducted in

cooperation with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration

(NASA) and the National Oceanic

and Atmospheric Administration

(NOAA), demonstrated that LIDAR

systems are capable of accurately

mapping beach and dune heights to

within 15 centimeters. Sensors

spanning the water column provided

data to improve models of wavebreaking processes and the resulting

flow structure, including commonly

observed undertows. Figure 1. Satellite-linked stream gage

on Crabtree Creek in Raleigh.

Figure 2. The scanning pattern of

NASA’s airborne topographic mapper.

N48RF

Direction of flight

(parallel to beach)

Overlapping scan width

(1150 feet)

Overlapping scans

Aircraft altitude

(2300 feet)

30 degree 

cone angle
science for a changing world

Amphibians in the Great Smoky

Mountains National Park

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park contains the greatest

diversity of salamanders (fig. 3) in

the United States. USGS scientists are

conducting an amphibian monitoring

and inventory project in this most

visited of U.S. National Parks. The

objective is to develop scientificallybased guidelines to track the status of

41 species of amphibians inhabiting

the Park. Amphibian populations

have declined in many places

throughout the world, including

National Parks, for unknown reasons.

A wide variety of habitats can be

found in the Smokies, from the

spruce-fir forests to the limestone

caves in historic Cades Cove. Almost

all of the Park’s habitats are included

in the amphibian inventory, including

habitats that are most sensitive and

undergoing substantial change. The

distribution information gathered

from all of the surveys will be

integrated into a geographically based

dataset to show the effects of past

human influence on the present

distribution of key species of concern.

These data are intended to provide the

National Park Service with a reasonable evaluation of the Park’s amphibians and how they may be monitored

in the coming years.

Geospatial Framework

In a cooperative project with the

USGS and the U.S. Bureau of the

Census, the North Carolina Center for

Geographic Information and Analysis

(NCCGIA) headed a consortium of

State agencies, including the North

Carolina Department of Transportation and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, to develop

a prototype for a geospatial data

framework. Each participating agency

helped to develop a framework data

set for Moore County, and then

assessed the use of the prototype data

set with specific program applications. The results of this project will

augment the National Spatial Data

Infrastructure in North Carolina.

Ground-Water Studies

Increased growth and development in

the Piedmont of North Carolina have

made it necessary for county planners

to rely on guidelines for the amount

of development that can be supported

by the local ground-water supply. To

help develop these guidelines, the

USGS is estimating ground-water

recharge and sampling water from

wells to analyze water quality in the

fractured-rock aquifer systems of

Guilford and Orange Counties (figs. 4

and 5). As a result of these studies,

ground-water-flow contributions to

streams can be calculated from longterm USGS streamflow records, and

ground-water recharge within the

county basins can be estimated. The

median ground-water recharge for 27

basins in Guilford and Orange

Counties ranges from 100 to 700

gallons per day per acre.

The results of USGS water-quality

sampling of 70 wells in Guilford

County indicate that radon gas in well

water differs with local geology.

Radon is a radioactive gas that is

reported to be a significant cause of

cancer. Water from wells in younger

igneous rocks in the northwest corner

of the county have much more radon

than water from wells in older

metamorphic rocks in much of the

rest of the county. Assessment of

radon and other constituents, including nutrients and metals, is underway

in Orange County.

Ground water is the major water

source for residents and industries in

the Coastal Plain of North Carolina.

The USGS, in cooperation with the

Lumber River Council of Governments, is studying the effects of

ground-water withdrawals from

several aquifers in the southern

Coastal Plain. Ground-water withdrawals at Elizabethtown in Bladen

County have caused decreased water

Figure 3. A northern red salamander.

Length typically ranges from 3 to 7

inches.

Figure 4. Physiographic boundaries,

counties, and the Neuse River Basin

of North Carolina.

Blue Ridge

Piedmont

Neuse River

Basin

Coastal

Plain

GUILFORD COUNTY

ORANGE COUNTY

BLADEN COUNTY

Figure 5. Sampling ground water for

radon in Guilford County.
North Carolina

levels in the Black Creek aquifer, a

major supply aquifer for this area.

The decreased water levels are

estimated to be as much as 100 feet

lower than the general water level in

the surrounding area.

Nutrients in Water in the Neuse

River Basin

Researchers from the USGS are

monitoring surface water, ground

water, and biological aspects of water

quality in the National Water-Quality

Assessment (NAWQA) Program

Albemarle-Pamlico study unit. The

study unit encompasses about 28,000

square miles extending from the

mountains through the Piedmont and

into the Coastal Plain of southeastern

Virginia and northeastern North

Carolina. The study unit includes four

major river systems (Chowan,

Roanoke, Tar, and Neuse) that drain

into the Albemarle and Pamlico

Sounds. Some of the findings for this

study unit include:

• Of the four river basins studied,

the highly agricultural and urbanized Neuse River Basin (fig. 4) had

the highest phosphorus (0.20 ton

per square mile per year) and

nitrogen (1.2 tons per square mile

per year) yields. In contrast to

yields in the highly agricultural

and urbanized areas, yields in the

forested areas of the basins were

less than 0.05 ton per square mile

per year for phosphorus and less

than 1.0 ton per square mile per

year for nitrogen.

• Phosphorus in ground water from

natural geologic sources contributes significantly to phosphorus

loads in streams in the Neuse River

Basin.

• To meet literature-based guidelines

for reducing the incidence of algal

blooms and fishkills, a 50-percent

reduction in summertime nitrogen

and phosphorus concentrations

would be required in the Neuse

River.

The USGS, in cooperation with the

U.S. Environmental Protection

Agency and the NCDENR, is evaluating nitrogen movement from the

atmosphere through soil to ground

water and then to receiving streams in

the Neuse River Basin. The USGS is

age-dating ground water by using

organic and inorganic chemicals to

test the validity of models designed to

predict the fate and movement of

nutrients through a watershed. A test

site was selected near Farmville.

Factors Affecting Atlantic

Sturgeon

At the beginning of the 20th century,

Atlantic sturgeon (fig. 7) were

numerous in North Carolina waters

and were prized for their valuable

caviar. Little was known about their

life cycles or numbers, however, and

the population was quickly overfished. Atlantic sturgeon are longlived and slow growing; females take

more than 10 years to become

sexually mature. The species is

classified as threatened, and harvesting has been prohibited in North

Carolina waters since 1991. Because

of similar declines in most East Coast

river systems, the Atlantic States

Marine Fisheries Commission

recently instituted a coastwide 40-

year moratorium on harvesting the

species.

The USGS North Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

is studying Atlantic sturgeon population, growth, and habitat. Fish are

caught and tagged, either with

conventional tags or transmitters, and

then released and tracked. USGS

research results suggest that adult

Atlantic sturgeon are very rare, but 1-

year-old Atlantic sturgeon appear to

be abundant in western Albemarle

Sound near the mouth of the Roanoke

River. Genetic studies conducted by

collaborating researchers indicate that

this is a distinct population from that

of other East Coast rivers. The

juvenile sturgeon in this area appear

to be in good condition and growing

rapidly, despite a habitat recently

identified as having contaminated

sediments and low levels of invertebrates commonly used by sturgeon

for food. Further study of Atlantic

sturgeon movements may help to

develop management practices that

aid in the recovery of the species.

Figure 6. Collecting water samples in

the Neuse River.

Figure 7. Atlantic sturgeon returning

to North Carolina.
Printed on recycled paper

USGS office locations USGS State Representative

3916 Sunset Ridge Road

Raleigh, NC 27607

(919) 571-4000

FAX (919) 571-4041

USGS Home Page

http://www.usgs.gov

Reports and products

1-888-ASK-USGS

The USGS has 82

employees in North Carolina

Charlotte

Asheville Raleigh

Environmental Effects of Mineral

Deposits

The USGS is helping the National

Park Service address issues related to

natural acidic rock and acidic mine

drainage associated with abandoned

mines in the Park. Acid rock and acid

mine drainage are associated with a

shaly rock belt that extends from

southeastern Tennessee into western

North Carolina. These rocks host

world-class copper deposits near

Ducktown, Tenn., and less wellknown deposits in the Great Smoky

Mountains National Park in North

Carolina. The host rocks contain

pyrite (fool’s gold) and the related

mineral pyrrhotite, natural acid

producers that can adversely affect

stream trout populations. Comprehensive geological and geochemical

studies are providing information

about the factors that control drainage

and the effects of these acids on

surrounding aquatic ecosystems.

Cooperative Mapping

The USGS and the North Carolina

Geological Survey (NCGS) are

cooperating to produce updated

1:24,000-scale topographic maps by

using a new, streamlined revision

process that creates a digital image

from scanned paper maps, which

allows them to be edited on the

computer. These updated maps can be

printed on demand and provide

digital information on roads, power

lines, water lines, and sewers. They

have been especially useful for

highlighting the rapid growth along

the I-85 corridor and in the northeastern part of the State. This cooperative

effort will update maps of urban areas

on a 5-year cycle and rural areas on a

10-year cycle.

Statewide coverage of digital

orthophoto quadrangles (DOQ’s),

which function as a base for showing,

generating, and modifying digital

map data, is complete. DOQ’s can be

used for mapping, resource and landuse planning, engineering, and

differentiating between warm and

cool bodies of water. This information is useful for assessing environmental impacts, planning emergency

evacuation, analyzing floods and soil

erosion, and analyzing ground-water

and watersheds.

The National Aerial Photography

Program was established in 1987 to

coordinate aerial photography among

Federal and State agencies. In cooperation with the State of North

Carolina, the USGS produced 1998

color-infrared (CIR) aerial photographs as part of this program.

Coverage for the State is 76-percent

complete. CIR photographs are used

for detecting vegetation types and

healthy versus stressed crops, delineating wetlands, and monitoring

agriculture. Individuals can purchase

CIR photographs to use for hunting,

hiking, and other recreation, as well

as for discovering inherent qualities

in familiar landscapes. The USGS

and the NCCGIA are planning to

produce 1999 CIR DOQ’s at the

1:12,000-scale to extend the development and maintenance of these key

data.

Since the passage of the National

Geologic Mapping Act in 1992, the

USGS National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program has provided

Federal funds to the NCGS and

geology departments at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

and at Wilmington, North Carolina

State University, and East Carolina

University to produce geologic maps.

These cooperative awards are

matched by State and university

funds. The maps show information

about the hydrogeologic framework

of selected areas, identify aggregate

resources for expanding infrastructure needs, and aid in environmental

assessment and planning. The most

recent maps show the Asheville and

Raleigh areas.

Figure 8. Stalactites, formed by iron

oxide from acidic drainage, in the

abandoned Fontana copper mine,

Great Smoky Mountains National

Park.