Developing and Implementing a Comprehensive Watershed Management Plan for North Carolina's Neuse River Basin

The Neuse River Basin encompasses 6,192 square miles in 19 counties and contains roughly one-sixth of the state's population. It is the third largest river basin in North Carolina and is one of only three major river basins whose boundaries are located entirely within the state. Water quality has been an issue in the Neuse River Basin for over a century. In 1887, legislation was passed to "prevent the throwing of dead stock into the waters of the Neuse River and its tributaries." The State Stream Sanitation Act of 1951 required a statewide survey of all surface waters. As a result of this legislation, the state completed the Neuse River Basin Survey Report in 1959. The most notable findings were the poor quality of waters downstream of wastewater dischargers. Coliform bacteria measurements of millions of organisms per 100 milliliters were not uncommon. The average dissolved oxygen concentration at the Neuse River downstream of Walnut Creek was as low as 3.7 milligrams per liter. Over 260 sites were sampled during 1955 and 1956 and a large number of these were unacceptable by today's standards.