Albemarle-Pamlico Drainage Study Unit
The Albemarle-Pamilco Drainage Study Unit (ALBE) is part of the National Water Quality Program (NWQP, formerly National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA)). NWQP is an ongoing program of the U.S. Geological Survey to provide an understanding of water-quality conditions; whether conditions are getting better or worse over time; and how natural features and human activities affect those conditions.
The ALBE drainage basin encompasses about 28,000 square miles in central and eastern North Carolina and southern Virginia and includes four major river basins—the Chowan, Roanoke, Tar, and Neuse. The study area extends through parts of four physiographic provinces—Valley and Ridge, Blue Ridge, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain.
Assessment of the Albemarle-Pamlico study area (ALBE) began in 1991 (Cycle I) with an intense 3-year period of surface-water, ground-water, and ecological data collection. Data collection from 1993 to 2000 included ground-water flow path sampling and monthly surface-water sampling at two sites selected for long-term trend evaluation. Intensive sampling began again in 2001 (Cycle II), with a focus on evaluating the effects of urban development on ecology and water quality (Effects of Urbanization on Stream Ecosystems (EUSE)), nutrient source and delivery modeling (Spatially Referenced Regressions on Watershed Attributes (SPARROW) modeling), and studying water quality of the Castle Hayne aquifer.
Currently the ALBE project is in Cycle III, which consists of the following science goals:
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Assess the current quality of the Nation’s freshwater resources and how water quality is changing over time (Status and Trends)
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Continuing: Evaluate how human activities and natural factors, such as land use and climate change, are affecting the quality of surface water and groundwater (Understanding Causes)
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Determine the effects of contaminants, excess nutrients, sediment, and streamflow alteration on aquatic ecosystems (Understanding Effects)
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Predict the effects of human activities, climate change, and management strategies on water quality and ecosystem condition (Forecasting)
Related Information:
- National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA)
- New Water-Quality Directions
- National Water Quality Network (includes stakeholder feedback form)
Below are publications associated with this project.
Response of Stream Chemistry During Base Flow to Gradients of Urbanization in Selected Locations Across the Conterminous United States, 2002-04
A Comparison of Natural and Urban Characteristics and the Development of Urban Intensity Indices Across Six Geographic Settings
Methods for Estimating Annual Wastewater Nutrient Loads in the Southeastern United States
Continuous resistivity profiling data from the upper Neuse River Estuary, North Carolina, 2004-2005
Factors affecting occurrence and distribution of selected contaminants in ground water from selected areas in the Piedmont Aquifer System, Eastern United States, 1993-2003
Geography for a Changing World - A science strategy for the geographic research of the U.S. Geological Survey, 2005-2015
Geochemistry and characteristics of nitrogen transport at a confined animal feeding operation in a coastal plain agricultural watershed, and implications for nutrient loading in the Neuse River basin, North Carolina, 1999-2002
The effects of urbanization on the biological, physical, and chemical characteristics of coastal New England streams
Water quality in the New England coastal basins, Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, 1999-2001
The effects of urbanization on the biological, physical, and chemical characteristics of coastal New England streams
User's Manual for the National Water-Quality Assessment Program Invertebrate Data Analysis System (IDAS) Software: Version 3
Water-quality and physical characteristics of streams in the Treyburn development area of Falls Lake watershed, North Carolina, 1994–98
The Albemarle-Pamilco Drainage Study Unit (ALBE) is part of the National Water Quality Program (NWQP, formerly National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA)). NWQP is an ongoing program of the U.S. Geological Survey to provide an understanding of water-quality conditions; whether conditions are getting better or worse over time; and how natural features and human activities affect those conditions.
The ALBE drainage basin encompasses about 28,000 square miles in central and eastern North Carolina and southern Virginia and includes four major river basins—the Chowan, Roanoke, Tar, and Neuse. The study area extends through parts of four physiographic provinces—Valley and Ridge, Blue Ridge, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain.
Assessment of the Albemarle-Pamlico study area (ALBE) began in 1991 (Cycle I) with an intense 3-year period of surface-water, ground-water, and ecological data collection. Data collection from 1993 to 2000 included ground-water flow path sampling and monthly surface-water sampling at two sites selected for long-term trend evaluation. Intensive sampling began again in 2001 (Cycle II), with a focus on evaluating the effects of urban development on ecology and water quality (Effects of Urbanization on Stream Ecosystems (EUSE)), nutrient source and delivery modeling (Spatially Referenced Regressions on Watershed Attributes (SPARROW) modeling), and studying water quality of the Castle Hayne aquifer.
Currently the ALBE project is in Cycle III, which consists of the following science goals:
-
Assess the current quality of the Nation’s freshwater resources and how water quality is changing over time (Status and Trends)
-
Continuing: Evaluate how human activities and natural factors, such as land use and climate change, are affecting the quality of surface water and groundwater (Understanding Causes)
-
Determine the effects of contaminants, excess nutrients, sediment, and streamflow alteration on aquatic ecosystems (Understanding Effects)
-
Predict the effects of human activities, climate change, and management strategies on water quality and ecosystem condition (Forecasting)
Related Information:
- National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA)
- New Water-Quality Directions
- National Water Quality Network (includes stakeholder feedback form)
Below are publications associated with this project.