CURRENT CONDITIONS

Current streamflow conditions in North Carolina.

View a detailed map.

DATA CENTER

• Real-time data
  • Streamflow
  • Groundwater
  • Water quality
  • Precipitation

• WaterWatch
  • Current conditions
  • Flood Watch
  • Drought Watch
  • Water Quality Watch
  • Monthly Conditions
  • Monthly Conditions Archive

• Groundwater networks
  • Real-time groundwater levels
  • Climate Response Network
  • Active groundwater levels

• Historical data
  • USGS Water Data
  • Annual Data Reports
  • Instantaneous Data Archive (IDA)

ABOUT THE NC WATER SCIENCE CENTER

• Welcome Message

  • Office Locations
  • Employee directory
  • Cooperators & Partners
  • Water Programs
  • Science Plan
  • Newsroom
  • Seminar Series
  • Science Education
  • Information requests
  • Additional Links
  • Frequently Asked Questions

ABOUT THE USGS

• About the USGS

• • USGS Phonebook
  • Employment

USGS IN YOUR STATE

USGS Water Science Centers are located in each state.

Water Resources of North Carolina

Welcome to the USGS North Carolina Water Science Center. These pages are your source for water-resource information collected and interpreted by the U.S. Geological Survey in North Carolina.

Click on a river basin to obtain real-time data.

Of Current Interest

USGS Estimates Nitrogen Loading to Streams and Coastal Areas of North Carolina and the Southeast

SPARROW model predictions of total nitrogen yields delivered to local stream reaches in the southeastern United States

The U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) program assessed total nitrogen loads and yields in streams throughout the southeastern United States using the USGS watershed model SPARROW (Spatially Referenced Regression On Watershed Attributes).

Results from the southeast regional total nitrogen SPARROW model indicate that atmospheric deposition is the largest source of nitrogen delivered annually to many estuaries along the South Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, such as Mobile and Apalachicola Bays.

The regional model integrates Federal, State, and local agency monitoring data at 321 stations with geospatial data describing 2002 nitrogen sources (fertilizer, animal waste, and urban inputs, atmospheric deposition, and wastewater discharges) and watershed properties (soil characteristics, precipitation, and land cover). The combination of more calibration sites and refined geospatial data provides significant improvement over previous SPARROW models in prediction accuracy and the identification of regional nutrient sources and transport factors.

Results of this study are described in the journal Hydrological Processes article and detailed supplemental tables with model predictions for instream load and yield for 8,028 stream reaches and 293 shoreline reaches and the fraction of instream load that is delivered to the basin outlet.

Results from the southeast regional SPARROW model can be used to assess:

• transport of nitrogen to streams from watersheds,
• removal of nitrogen by processes within streams,
• contributions of nitrogen from different sources in watersheds,
• transport and delivery of nitrogen to receiving water bodies, including the 30 major estuaries along the South Atlantic and Gulf Coasts,
• conditions and transport in unmonitored streams,
• priorities for future monitoring and assessment, and
• response of nitrogen levels to proposed management actions.

For more information on nitrogen loading and delivery to streams and coastal areas in North Carolina, contact Ana Maria Garcia (agarcia@usgs.gov); for questions about other areas of the southeast, contact Anne Hoos, (abhoos@usgs.gov)

View 'Of Current Interest' Archive

Recent Publications

Occurrence of Selected Pharmaceutical and Organic Wastewater Compounds in Effluent and Water Samples from Municipal Wastewater and Drinking-Water Treatment Facilities in the Tar and Cape Fear River Basins, North Carolina, 2003–2005 By G.M. Ferrell Open-File Report 2009-1046

Selected Physical, Chemical, and Biological Data Used to Study Urbanizing Streams in Nine Metropolitan Areas of the United States, 1999–2004 By Elise M.P. Giddings, Amanda H. Bell, Karen M. Beaulieu, Thomas F. Cuffney, James F. Coles, Larry R. Brown, Faith A. Fitzpatrick, James Falcone, Lori A. Sprague, Wade L. Bryant, Marie C. Peppler, Cory Stephens, and Gerard McMahon Data Series 423

Derivation of Nationally Consistent Indices Representing Urban Intensity within and across Nine Metropolitan Areas of the Conterminous United States By Thomas F. Cuffney and James A. Falcone Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5095

Search our publications