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BASINWIDE ASSESSMENT REPORT YADKIN RIVER BASIN NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES Division of Water Quality Environmental Sciences Section April 2007 This page was intentionally left blank NCDENR, Division of Water Quality Basinwide Assessment Report - Yadkin River Basin - April 2006 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF APPENDICIES ........................................................................................................................4 LIST OF TABLES...................................................................................................................................5 LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................................5 BASIN DESCRIPTION...........................................................................................................................6 YADKIN RIVER HUC 03040101 – YADKIN RIVER HEADWATERS ...................................................8 Description......................................................................................................................................8 Overview of Water Quality............................................................................................................10 River and Stream Assessment.....................................................................................................14 YADKIN RIVER HUC 03040102 – SOUTH YADKIN RIVER ..............................................................16 Description....................................................................................................................................16 Overview Of Water Quality ...........................................................................................................17 River And Stream Assessment.....................................................................................................18 YADKIN RIVER HUC 03040103 - YADKIN RIVER.............................................................................20 Description....................................................................................................................................20 Overview of Water Quality............................................................................................................21 River and Stream Assessment.....................................................................................................22 YADKIN RIVER HUC 03040104 – LAKE TILLERY/PEE DEE RIVER................................................25 Description....................................................................................................................................25 Overview of Water Quality............................................................................................................26 River and Stream Assessment.....................................................................................................27 YADKIN RIVER HUC 03040105 - ROCKY RIVER .............................................................................29 Description....................................................................................................................................29 Overview of Water Quality............................................................................................................30 River and Stream Assessment.....................................................................................................32 YADKIN RIVER HUC 03040201 – PEE DEE RIVER..........................................................................34 Description....................................................................................................................................34 Overview of Water Quality............................................................................................................35 River and Stream Assessment.....................................................................................................37 GLOSSARY .........................................................................................................................................38 NCDENR, Division of Water Quality Basinwide Assessment Report - Yadkin River Basin - April 2006 3 LIST OF APPENDICIES Appendix Page B-1 Summary of benthic macroinvertebrate data, sampling methods, and criteria..............................39 F-1 Fish community sampling methods and criteria.............................................................................52 F-2 A summary of fish community assessment data ...........................................................................58 F-3 Fish community data collected from the Yadkin River basin, 1992 – 2006...................................63 F-4 Fish community metric values from 83 wadeable streams in the Yadkin River basinwide monitoring program, 2006.............................................................................................68 F-5 Fish distributional records for the Yadkin River basin....................................................................70 F-6 Habitat evaluations and stream and riparian habitats at 83 fish community monitoring sites in the Yadkin River basin, 2006.............................................................................................72 F-7 Water quality at 83 fish community sites in the Yadkin River basin, 2006 ....................................81 F-8 Flow measurement and flow conditions in the Yadkin River basin................................................84 F-9 Web links........................................................................................................................................92 F-10 Fish community references............................................................................................................93 NCDENR, Division of Water Quality Basinwide Assessment Report - Yadkin River Basin - April 2006 4 LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Waterbodies monitored in Yadkin River Headwaters HUC 03040101 in the Yadkin River basin for basinwide assessment, 2001 and 2006 ................................................................ 10 2. Waterbodies monitored in South Yadkin River HUC 03040102 in the Yadkin River basin for basinwide assessment, 2001 and 2006.......................................................................... 17 3. Waterbodies monitored in Yadkin River HUC 03040103 in the Yadkin Basin for basinwide assessment, 2001 and 2006 ........................................................................................ 22 4. Waterbodies monitored in Lake Tillery/Pee Dee River HUC 03040104 in the Yadkin River basin for basinwide assessment, 2001 and 2006 ................................................................ 26 5. Waterbodies monitored in Rocky River HUC 03040105 in the Yadkin River basin for basinwide assessment, 2001 and 2006 ................................................................................... 30 6. Major NPDES permitted dischargers in HUC 03040201............................................................... 33 7. Waterbodies monitored in Pee Dee River HUC 03040201 in the Yadkin River basin for basinwide assessment, 2001 and 2006 ................................................................................... 34 LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. Geographical relationships of the Yadkin River basin in North Carolina. ........................................6 2. Sampling sites in HUC 03040101 in the Yadkin River basin...........................................................8 3. Sampling sites in HUC 03040102 in the Yadkin River basin.........................................................16 4. Sampling sites in HUC 03040103 in the Yadkin River basin.........................................................20 5. Sampling sites in HUC 03040104 in the Yadkin River basin.........................................................24 6. Sampling sites in HUC 03040105 in the Yadkin River basin.........................................................29 7. Sampling sites in HUC 03040201 in the Yadkin River basin.........................................................33 NCDENR, Division of Water Quality Basinwide Assessment Report - Yadkin River Basin - April 2006 5 BASIN DESCRIPTION The Yadkin River basin is the second largest basin in North Carolina and covers approximately 7,213 square miles and spans 21 counties (Figure 1). Originating on the eastern slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Caldwell and Wilkes counties, the Yadkin River flows northeasterly for about 100 miles and then turns southeast until it joins the Uwharrie River to form the Pee Dee River. The Pee Dee River continues its southeast course to the North Carolina-South Carolina border and then precedes its flow through the heart of South Carolina before emptying to Winyah Bay (Figure 1). Figure 1. Geographical relationships of the Yadkin River basin. As would be expected for such a large river basin, there are numerous subecoregions encountered here. The mountain ecoregions includes the Southern Crystalline Ridges and Mountains, and the Eastern Blue Ridge Foothills (Griffith et al. 2002). Within the piedmont ecoregions, the subecoregions of the Northern Inner Piedmont, the Triassic Uplands, the Sauratown Mountains, the Southern Outer Piedmont and the Carolina Slate Belt are found (Griffith et al. 2002). The lower portion of this basin also includes a small NCDENR, Division of Water Quality Basinwide Assessment Report - Yadkin River Basin