CURRENT CONDITIONS

Current streamflow conditions in North Carolina.

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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

Water in Two Counties to be Sampled and Studied before Possible Shale Gas Exploration

Water from wells in Lee and Chatham counties will be sampled and tested for baseline information because of potential for shale gas exploration in these areas.
Study Area Map (2.5 MB PDF, map from News & Observer)

The baseline data collected from both private and public water supply wells will be used by state and local agencies to identify background concentrations of major ions, metals, volatile organic compounds, methane gas, and stable isotopes in the aquifer prior to increased shale gas exploration in North Carolina. If shale gas exploration occurs, this data will be used to compare to post-drilling water-quality samples.

Sampling of private wells can be requested from owners at no cost to them, and no well owner names or addresses will be made public. Both Lee and Chatham County Health Departments and supporting partners are providing well records that have been compiled as part of their permitting processes.

Questions regarding this sampling effort and water quality work in Lee and Chatham counties, or an interest in participating in the study, should be directed to Melinda Chapman, USGS, Raleigh, NC, at (919) 571-4047; e-mail mjchap@usgs.gov

Recent News
Duke University, USGS To Conduct Baseline Water Sample Tests Ahead of Hydraulic Fracturing - Pierre Bertrand, International Business Times (Dec 1)
Tests to assess future fracking - Chatham County - John Murawski, News & Observer (Dec 1)
As "fracking" bonanza looms, landowners in Lee, Chatham to get free well testing - John Murawski, News & Observer .biz blog (Nov 30)
Water Samples Scheduled for Lee and Chatham - Leoneda Inge, WUNC News (Nov 17)
USGS press release (Nov 15)

USGS Energy Resources Program

View 'Of Current Interest' Archive

Recent Publications

Characterization of Stormwater Runoff from Bridges in North Carolina and the Effects of Bridge Deck Runoff on Receiving Streams By Chad R. Wagner, Sharon A. Fitzgerald, Roy D. Sherrell, Douglas A. Harned, Erik L. Staub, Brian H. Pointer, and Loren L. Wehmeyer Scientific Investigations Report 2011–5180

Distribution of Transmissivity and Yield of the Surficial, Castle Hayne, and Peedee Aquifers in Northern New Hanover County, North Carolina By Kristen Bukowski McSwain and Laura A. Nagy Open-File Report 2011–1205

Geophysical Logging Data from the Mills Gap Road area near Asheville, North Carolina By Melinda J. Chapman and Brad A. Huffman Data Series 538

Search our publications

Podcasts

USGS CoreCast: Groundwater Awareness Week is March 6-12
From large drawdowns in the Great Plains aquifer to arsenic in some wells in New England, this episode of CoreCast highlights six different USGS groundwater studies all across the United States, including Wake County in North Carolina. (7.68 Mb)

Download podcast (right click - save as)
A transcript is available.

North Carolina Podcast Series