North Carolina Projects and Studies

The National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Study is an ongoing program of the U.S. Geological Survey to assess the status and trends of the Nation's streams and groundwater quality and to examine the processes that control water quality.

Science Topic:
Increased Population and Water Resources
Groundwater resources
Agriculture and Water Quality
Estuarine and Coastal Processes
Support of Federal and State Programs

A Water-Quality Monitoring Network for Albemarle Sound will be developed to examine critical water-quality management issues as a pilot study of the National Monitoring Network for U.S. Coastal Waters and their Tributaries.

Science Topic:
Increased Population and Water Resources
Groundwater resources
Agriculture and Water Quality
Estuarine and Coastal Processes
Support of Federal and State Programs

Since 2000, the population of Brunswick County has grown by more than 50%, over two times the 22% growth experienced by the State of North Carolina as a whole (U.S. Census Bureau, 2014). A growth of this magnitude places significant stress on Brunswick County's natural resources. County planners have recognized the potential consequences of land use changes associated with growth and the resulting increased demand on water resources by consolidating the many public utility providers into one organization and embarking on an aggressive utility expansion plan. In order to make informed water resource planning decisions, County officials need up-to-date water-resource information. To address concerns about the availability of groundwater in the Brunswick County area, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Brunswick County initiated a cooperative water-resources program in 1998.

Science Topic:
Increased Population and Water Resources
Groundwater resources
Hydrologic and Geospatial data

The North Carolina Department of Transportation is developing a proposal to build a 7.0-mile-long two-lane toll bridge across Currituck Sound. From 2011 to 2013, the USGS will be collecting regular water quality samples as well as bed sediment samples in the proposed bridge location to document the existing water quality conditions.

Science Topic:
Increased Population and Water Resources
Estuarine and Coastal Processes
Support of Federal and State Programs

This study will evaluate the utility of stable isotopes for characterizing nutrient sources in selected tributaries in the vicinity of Durham that feed nutrient-impaired Falls Lake and Jordan Lake. Results will provide a scientific basis for identifying sources of nutrients (commercial fertilizers, animal and septic waste, naturally occurring) and for optimizing the installation locations of nutrient-reduction best management practices in the study area.

Science Topic:
Increased Population and Water Resources

In order to evaluate effects of installing a vertical-mixing system on the New Hope arm of Jordan Lake, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is documenting water-column stratification, chemical quality, taste and odor compounds, and phytoplankton characteristics before and after installation of a mixing system.

Science Topic:
Increased Population and Water Resources

New Hanover County is one of the most populated areas along the North Carolina coastline and the population is projected to expand by 25 percent over the next 20 years. In 2005, groundwater supplied about 20 million gallons per day of potable water and comprised about 30% of the total fresh water used in the County. County managers and town planners are concerned about escalating demand for groundwater within the county and recognize the importance of high-quality drinking water to meet the demands of a growing population. This study will describe the availability and quality of groundwater in the surficial, Castle Hayne and Peedee aquifers in New Hanover County and forecast the effect on groundwater resources induced from changes in external conditions such as withdrawals, river channel deepening, sea-level rise, and aquifer storage and recovery.

Science Topic:
Increased Population and Water Resources
Groundwater resources

Increased development of the Castle Hayne (carbonate) aquifer has occurred in Onslow County as a result of reduced withdrawals from the Cretaceous aquifers. Increased groundwater withdrawals from these aquifers and their close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean increase the potential for movement of saltwater into the aquifers. Because the Castle Hayne aquifer is unconfined in parts of the county and is carbonate in composition, it also is susceptible to contamination from human activities on the land. The most recent comprehensive groundwater study conducted in Onslow County was completed in 1989 (Lyke and Winner, 1990); a more current tool is needed to assess the long-term effects of groundwater withdrawals on groundwater levels and saltwater movement in the area.

Science Topic:
Increased Population and Water Resources
Groundwater resources

Since 1988, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been collecting data at 18 sites in and around Treyburn, North Carolina, which is an 8-square-mile (mi²) residential, commercial, and industrial development located in the Falls Lake watershed. Water-quality data, assessments of biological conditions, and streamflow information have been collected at the sites over different time intervals. No single stream drains the entire Treyburn development.

Science Topic:
Increased Population and Water Resources
Hydrologic and Geospatial data

The Research Triangle area, located within the upper Cape Fear and Neuse River basins, is one of the most rapidly developing areas of North Carolina. Growth has increased demand for water from public suppliers, the majority of which draw water from streams and lakes in the region. Growth also brings the threat of greater loads of contaminants and new contaminant sources that, if not properly managed, could adversely affect water quality.

Science Topic:
Increased Population and Water Resources
Hydrologic and Geospatial data

The 1996 Amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act require that each state prepare a source-water assessment for all public water supplies. In 1999, the U.S. Geological Survey provided components of the inherent vulnerability rating that were used with the contaminant rating to determine the overall susceptibility rating of source water supplies. In 2009, the USGS updated key layers of the unsaturated zone and watershed characteristic rating using the methodology developed for the 1999 project work.

Science Topic:

Groundwater resources
Increased Population and Water Resources
Support of Federal and State Programs