The Wilmington morning star., 1940-05-20
EROSION OF LAND
Is HEAVY IN N. {.
murL,akes And Streams Are
Filled With Best Soil
Of The Farms

rbirtynine per cent of the 81
80 900 acres of land in North Caro-
is bpins eroded; the top soil is
Iar washed away. Four and one.
~ nor cent of the crop land
~11o 400 acres has been essentially
,.,+rored for tillage. Nine per cent
~, last over thr%ee-fourths of it's top.
1o;, and some subsoil. and 80 per
on+ of the cropland has lost from
sao,fo,rth TO three-fourths of its
,onsojI Eighteen per cent of the
,.to, area has been affected by
o,,Iying, or evere erosion.
That is the ominous story of the
aos,ruction of the fertility of North
,,oro,ina farm land. The story of
roduced Yields; of need for more
and more fertilizers; of poverty in
tho land and on the land.
Rut what is becoming of the soil?
W D Lee. Extension soil conserva-
,ionis, of N. C. State college, sup
niles the answer by citing the re-
suts of a sedimentation survey of
lake Lee. the municipal water sup
rIv reservoir for the town of Mon
,op in Union county. This is just
mo of the scores of lakes and
streams which are being filled with
,bA richest soil from the farms Of
the Old North State.
The survey was made by the U.
, Soil Conservation service, in CO.
,noration with the North Carolina
,crjcu'tural Experiment station, Of
which Dr.. |. 0. Schaub of State col
loee is acting director. The survey
showed. among other things, that
the 11.veaf-old lake two miles east
Of Monroe will be completely filled
in another 43 years. or after a total
life Of only 81 years. if the present
rate Of sedimentation IS continued.
Useful Life Is Less
The Lake Lee reservoir COM
prised 1853 acres at crest stage
originally; it already has declined to
1O4.S acres the conservationist de.
clared. when it is reported that
the lake will be completely filled
with sediment in another 43 years,
it doesn't mean that the useful life
of the reservoir will be that long.
As the silt accumulates. the storage
capacity of the reservoir will de.
cline proportionately, until it would
be dangerous for the town of Mon
roe 10 depend on a depleted source
Of water if a drouth period occurred"
Specialist Lee said that the storage
capacity Of the reservoir is declin-
ing at the rate Of 1855 per cent an
nlally, or a total of 20.5S in the II
Years since the lake was built.
When the survey was made, only
IL landowners in the drainage ar :,
controlling a total acreage of 1864
acres, or 1871 per cent of the total
area, had instituted erosion control
measures, Since the survey, the
Brown Creek Soil Conservation dis.
flct has made a concerted effort to
increase participation in the erosion
control program in the 50.5-square-
nile drainage basin.
The municipal lake is fed by two
streams, Big Richardson creek and
Little Richardson creek. An inter-
sung out9rowth of the survey was
"e findings that the Little Rich
erdSon arm of the lake, with a con.
Sloefaoly larger storage capacity and
d much smaller drainge area, has
trapped nearly as much sediment as
"e Big Richardson creek area.
need Widespread Erosion Control
Inc advisability of strong rene.
'al measures to control erosion and
sup Sedlmentation of the reservoir
N''pIid SlZcd ny lUe SUR
y Lee stated. Such measures
S"ooiu be aimed primarily at con-
%I'atlon Of the existing storage in
pasln' Since the ultimate source
oil the sediment is erosion on
'nas draining into the reservoir. a
useu lot widespread soil conserva-
"V,l measures is indicated.
'uch measures in this area would
@,V double benefits, to the city
.",ef supply on the n hand. and
/. ,a"a owners on the other. There
uisfelore a double measure of
o%u0icatlon for an intensive erosion
ol'rol prosram in that section.
asu lor active cooperation of rural
+au urban, local, state and federal
said. 'ne opeeialis'
IN ~ me story of only one lake
cit. WV" carolina that is being filled
,,. 'e best soil from farming
OF the state, Lee said, but the
irsas story could be told of hun
Tss4 Of other lakes and streams.
nat Is Whv H..