15A N.C. Admin. Code 02B .0311 - CAPE FEAR RIVER BASIN

(a) Classifications assigned to the waters within the Cape Fear River Basin are set forth in the Cape Fear River Basin Classification Schedule, which may be inspected at the following places:

(1) the Internet at https://deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/water-resources/water-planning/classification-standards/river-basin-classification; and

(2) the following offices of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality:

(A) Winston-Salem Regional Office

450 West Hanes Mill Road

Winston-Salem, North Carolina;

(B) Fayetteville Regional Office

225 Green Street

Systel Building Suite 714

Fayetteville, North Carolina;

(C) Raleigh Regional Office

3800 Barrett Drive

Raleigh, North Carolina;

(D) Washington Regional Office

943 Washington Square Mall

Washington, North Carolina;

(E) Wilmington Regional Office

127 Cardinal Drive Extension

Wilmington, North Carolina; and

(F) Division of Water Resources

Central Office

512 North Salisbury Street

Raleigh, North Carolina.

(b) The Cape Fear River Basin Classification Schedule was amended effective:

(1) March 1, 1977;

(2) December 13, 1979;

(3) December 14, 1980;

(4) August 9, 1981;

(5) April 1, 1982;

(6) December 1, 1983;

(7) January 1, 1985;

(8) August 1, 1985;

(9) December 1, 1985;

(10) February 1, 1986;

(11) July 1, 1987;

(12) October 1, 1987;

(13) March 1, 1988;

(14) August 1, 1990.

(c) The Cape Fear River Basin Classification Schedule was amended effective June 1, 1988 as follows:

(1) Cane Creek [Index No. 16-21-(1)] from source to a point 0.5 mile north of N.C. Hwy. 54 (Cane Reservoir Dam) including the Cane Creek Reservoir and all tributaries has been reclassified from Class WS-III to WS-I.

(2) Morgan Creek [Index No. 16-41-1-(1)] to the University Lake dam including University Lake and all tributaries has been reclassified from Class WS-III to WS-I.

(d) The Cape Fear River Basin Classification Schedule was amended effective July 1, 1988 by the reclassification of Crane Creek (Crains Creek) [Index No. 18-23-16-(1)] from source to mouth of Beaver Creek including all tributaries from C to WS-III.

(e) The Cape Fear River Basin Classification Schedule was amended effective January 1, 1990 as follows:

(1) Intracoastal Waterway (Index No. 18-87) from southern edge of White Oak River Basin to western end of Permuda Island (a line from Morris Landing to Atlantic Ocean), from the eastern mouth of Old Topsail Creek to the southwestern shore of Howe Creek and from the southwest mouth of Shinn Creek to channel marker No. 153 including all tributaries except the King Creek Restricted Area, Hardison Creek, Old Topsail Creek, Mill Creek, Futch Creek and Pages Creek were reclassified from Class SA to Class SA ORW.

(2) Topsail Sound and Middle Sound ORW Area which includes all waters between the Barrier Islands and the Intracoastal Waterway located between a line running from the western most shore of Mason Inlet to the southwestern shore of Howe Creek and a line running from the western shore of New Topsail Inlet to the eastern mouth of Old Topsail Creek was reclassified from Class SA to Class SA ORW.

(3) Masonboro Sound ORW Area which includes all waters between the Barrier Islands and the mainland from a line running from the southwest mouth of Shinn Creek at the Intracoastal Waterway to the southern shore of Masonboro Inlet and a line running from the Intracoastal Waterway Channel marker No. 153 to the southside of the Carolina Beach Inlet was reclassified from Class SA to Class SA ORW.

(f) The Cape Fear River Basin Classification Schedule was amended effective January 1, 1990 as follows: Big Alamance Creek [Index No. 16-19-(1)] from source to Lake Mackintosh Dam including all tributaries has been reclassified from Class WS-III NSW to Class WS-II NSW.

(g) The Cape Fear River Basin Classification Schedule was amended effective August 3, 1992 with the reclassification of all water supply waters (waters with a primary classification of WS-I, WS-II or WS-III). These waters were reclassified to WS-I, WS-II, WS-III, WS-IV or WS-V as defined in the revised water supply protection rules (15A NCAC 02B .0100, 02B .0200 and 02B .0300), which became effective on August 3, 1992. In some cases, streams with primary classifications other than WS were reclassified to a WS classification due to their proximity and linkage to water supply waters. In other cases, waters were reclassified from a WS classification to an alternate appropriate primary classification after being identified as downstream of a water supply intake or identified as not being used for water supply purposes.

(h) The Cape Fear River Basin Classification Schedule was amended effective June 1, 1994 as follows:

(1) The Black River from its source to the Cape Fear River [Index Nos. 18-68-(0.5), 18-68-(3.5) and 18-65-(11.5)] was reclassified from Classes C Sw and C Sw HQW to Class C Sw ORW.

(2) The South River from Big Swamp to the Black River [Index Nos. 18-68-12-(0.5) and 18-68-12(11.5)] was reclassified from Classes C Sw and C Sw HQW to Class C Sw ORW.

(3) Six Runs Creek from Quewhiffle Swamp to the Black River [Index No. 18-68-2] was reclassified from Class C Sw to Class C Sw ORW.

(i) The Cape Fear River Basin Classification Schedule was amended effective September 1, 1994 with the reclassification of the Deep River [Index No. 17-(36.5)] from the Town of Gulf-Goldston water supply intake to US highway 421 including associated tributaries from Class C to Classes C, WS-IV and WS-IV CA.

(j) The Cape Fear River Basin Classification Schedule was amended effective August 1, 1998 with the revision to the primary classification for portions of the Deep River [Index No. 17-(28.5)] from Class WS-IV to Class WS-V, Deep River [Index No. 17-(41.5)] from Class WS-IV to Class C, and the Cape Fear River [Index 18-(10.5)] from Class WS-IV to Class WS-V.

(k) The Cape Fear River Basin Classification Schedule was amended effective April 1, 1999 with the reclassification of Buckhorn Creek (Harris Lake)[Index No. 18-7-(3)] from the backwaters of Harris Lake to the Dam at Harris Lake from Class C to Class WS-V.

(l) The Cape Fear River Basin Classification Schedule was amended effective April 1, 1999 with the reclassification of the Deep River [Index No. 17-(4)] from the dam at Oakdale-Cotton Mills, Inc. to the dam at Randleman Reservoir (located 1.6 mile upstream of U.S. Hwy 220 Business), and including tributaries from Class C and Class B to Class WS-IV and Class WS-IV & B. Streams within the Randleman Reservoir Critical Area have been reclassified to WS-IV CA. The Critical Area for a WS-IV reservoir is defined as 0.5 mile and draining to the normal pool elevation of the reservoir. All waters within the Randleman Reservoir Water Supply Watershed are within a designated Critical Water Supply Watershed and are subject to a special management strategy specified in Rule .0248 of this Subchapter.

(m) The Cape Fear River Basin Classification Schedule was amended effective August 1, 2002 as follows:

(1) Mill Creek [Index Nos. 18-23-11-(1), 18-23-11-(2), 18-23-11-3, 18-23-11-(5)] from its source to the Little River, including all tributaries was reclassified from Class WS-III NSW and Class WS-III B NSW to Class WS-III NSW HQW@ and Class WS-III B NSW HQW@.

(2) McDeed's Creek [Index Nos. 18-23-11-4, 18-23-11-4-1] from its source to Mill Creek, including all tributaries was reclassified from Class WS III NSW and Class WS-III B NSW to Class WS-III NSW HQW@ and Class WS-III B NSW HQW@.

The "@" symbol as used in this Paragraph means that if the governing municipality has deemed that a development is covered under a "5/70 provision" as described in Rule .0624 of this Subchapter, then that development is not subject to the stormwater requirements as described in 15A NCAC 02H .1021.

(n) The Cape Fear River Basin Classification Schedule was amended effective November 1, 2004 as follows:

(1) the portion of Rocky River [Index Number 17-43-(1)] from a point 0.3 mile upstream of Town of Siler City upper reservoir dam to a point 0.3 mile downstream of Lacy Creek from WS-III to WS-III CA.

(2) the portion of Rocky River [Index Number 17-43-(8)] from dam at lower water supply reservoir for Town of Siler City to a point 65 feet below dam (site of proposed dam) from C to WS-III CA.

(3) the portion of Mud Lick Creek (Index No. 17-43-6) from a point 0.4 mile upstream of Chatham County SR 1355 to Town of Siler City lower water supply reservoir from WS-III to WS-III CA.

(4) the portion of Lacy Creek (17-43-7) from a point 0.6 mile downstream of Chatham County SR 1362 to Town of Siler City lower water supply reservoir from WS-III to WS-III CA.

(o) The Cape Fear River Basin Classification Schedule was amended effective November 1, 2007 with the reclassifications listed below, and the North Carolina Division of Water Resources maintains a Geographic Information Systems data layer of these UWLs.

(1) Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point Pools, all on the eastern shore of the Cape Fear River [Index No. 18-(71)] were reclassified to Class WL UWL.

(2) Salters Lake Bay near Salters Lake [Index No. 18-44-4] was reclassified to Class WL UWL.

(3) Jones Lake Bay near Jones Lake [Index No. 18-46-7-1] was reclassified to Class WL UWL.

(4) Weymouth Woods Sandhill Seep near Mill Creek [18-23-11-(1)] was reclassified to Class WL UWL.

(5) Fly Trap Savanna near Cape Fear River [Index No. 18-(71)] was reclassified to Class WL UWL.

(6) Lily Pond near Cape Fear River [Index No. 18-(71)] was reclassified to Class WL UWL.

(7) Grassy Pond near Cape Fear River [Index No. 18-(71)] was reclassified to Class WL UWL.

(8) The Neck Savanna near Sandy Run Swamp [Index No. 18-74-33-2] was reclassified to Class WL UWL.

(9) Bower's Bog near Mill Creek [Index No. 18-23-11-(1)] was reclassified to Class WL UWL.

(10) Bushy Lake near Turnbull Creek [Index No. 18-46] was reclassified to Class WL UWL.

(p) The Cape Fear River Basin Classification Schedule was amended effective January 1, 2009 as follows:

(1) the portion of Cape Fear River [Index No. 18-(26)] (including tributaries) from Smithfield Packing Company's intake, located approximately 2 miles upstream of County Road 1316, to a point 0.5 miles upstream of Smithfield Packing Company's intake from Class C to Class WS-IV CA.

(2) the portion of Cape Fear River [Index No.18-(26)] (including tributaries) from a point 0.5 miles upstream of Smithfield Packing Company's intake to a point 1 mile upstream of Grays Creek from Class C to Class WS-IV.

(q) The Cape Fear River Basin Classification Schedule was amended effective August 11, 2009 with the reclassification of all Class C NSW waters and all Class B NSW waters upstream of the dam at B. Everett Jordan Reservoir from Class C NSW and Class B NSW to Class WS-V NSW and Class WS-V & B NSW, respectively. All waters within the B. Everett Jordan Reservoir Watershed are within a designated Critical Water Supply Watershed and are subject to a special management strategy specified in Rules .0262 through .0273 of this Subchapter.

(r) The Cape Fear River Basin Classification Schedule was amended effective September 1, 2009 with the reclassification of a portion of the Haw River [Index No. 16-(28.5)] from the Town of Pittsboro water supply intake, which is located approximately 0.15 mile west of U.S. 15/501, to a point 0.5 mile upstream of the Town of Pittsboro water supply intake from Class WS-IV to Class WS-IV CA.

(s) The Cape Fear River Basin Classification Schedule was amended effective March 1, 2012 with the reclassification of the portion of the Haw River [Index No. 16-(1)] from the City of Greensboro's intake, located approximately 650 feet upstream of Guilford County 2712, to a point 0.5 miles upstream of the intake from Class WS-V NSW to Class WS-IV CA NSW, and the portion of the Haw River [Index No. 16-(1)] from a point 0.5 miles upstream of the intake to a point 0.6 miles downstream of U.S. Route 29 from Class WS-V NSW to Class WS-IV NSW.

(t) The Cape Fear River Basin Classification Schedule was amended effective November 1, 2019 with the reclassification of a portion of Sandy Creek [Index No. 17-16-(1)] (including tributaries) from a point 0.4 mile upstream of SR-2481 to a point 0.6 mile upstream of N.C. Hwy 22 from WS-III to WS-III CA. The reclassification resulted in an updated representation of the water supply watershed for the Sandy Creek reservoir.

Notes

15A N.C. Admin. Code 02B .0311

Authority G.S. 143-214.1; 143-215.1; 143-215.3(a)(1);
Eff. February 1, 1976;
Amended Eff. June 30, 2017; March 1, 2012; September 1, 2009; August 11, 2009; January 1, 2009; November 1, 2007; November 1, 2004; August 1, 2002; April 1, 1999; August 1, 1998; September 1, 1994; June 1, 1994; August 3, 1992; August 1, 1990;
Readopted Eff. November 1, 2019;
Amended Eff. June 1, 2022; July 1, 2021.

Authority G.S. 143-214.1; 143-215.1; 143-215.3(a)(1);
Eff. 2/1/1976;
Amended Eff. 8/1/1990; August 3, 1992; June 1, 1994; September 1, 1994; August 1, 1998; April 1, 1999; August 1, 2002; November 1, 2004; November 1, 2007;January 1, 2009; August 11, 2009; September 1, 2009; March 1, 2012; Amended by North Carolina Register Volume 31, Issue 05, September 1, 2016 effective 8/1/2016. Readopted by North Carolina Register Volume 34, Issue 11, December 2, 2019 effective 11/1/2019. Amended by North Carolina Register Volume 36, Issue 03, August 2, 2021 effective 7/1/2021. Amended by North Carolina Register Volume 37, Issue 01, July 1, 2022 effective 6/1/2022.