North Carolina Watersheds

What watershed do you live in?

FRENCH BROAD

Which river basin is the largest in NC?

CAPE FEAR RIVER BASIN

FRENCH BROAD is 2,842 square miles

What is the name of the main river in your watershed?

FRENCH BROAD RIVER

What are the headwaters of the your river basin?

The headwaters of the French Broad River spill from a 50-foot waterfall in Transylvania County (Court House Falls).

How many people live in the French Broad Watershed?

• 393,795 people live in the French Broad Watershed.

• Some areas in the watershed have doubled in population since 1990 (Hendersonville)

What unique organisms can be found in your watershed?

Hellbender salamanders, the Appalachian elktoe (freshwater mussel), and many species of fish that are not found in any other rivers in the state.

How clean is the water found in the French Broad Watershed?

• The state has named about 263 miles of rivers as “Outstanding Resource Waters” due to their high quality.

• The Pigeon River has been affected for years by polluted discharge from a paper mill. Now the mill releases much lower levels of contaminants which has greatly improved the quality of water.

What are some other factors that may contribute to water quality in the

French Broad River Basin?

POPULATION – as population increases pollutions increases

–URBAN DEVOLOPMENT – due to the population increase

–CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES – due to the population increase

Where does the water in your watershed end up going?

• French Broad River to Douglas Lake to the Tennessee River to the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean.

HERE ARE SOME OF THE MAJORRIVERS IN NORTH CAROLINA

HERE ARE SOME OF THE MAJORRIVERS IN THE USA