Albemarle-Pamlico Drainage Study Unit Active
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.
National water-quality assessment program : the Albemarle- Pamlico drainage
Water-quality trends and basin activities and characteristics for the Albemarle-Pamlico estuarine system, North Carolina and Virginia
U.S. Geological Survey second national symposium on Water quality; abstracts of the technical sessions, Orlando, Florida, November 12-17, 1989
Water quality of the Neuse River, North Carolina - Variability, pollution loads, and long-term trends
Water quality of the Neuse River, North Carolina: Variability, pollution loads, and long-term trends
- Overview
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)
-
- Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 53National water-quality assessment program : the Albemarle- Pamlico drainage
In 1991, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) began to implement a full-scale National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) program. Long-term goals of the NAWQA program are to describe the status and trends in the quality of a large, representative part of the Nation's surface- and ground-water resources and to provide a sound, scientific understanding of the primary natural and human factors affectingAuthorsO. B. Lloyd, C.R. Barnes, M. D. WoodsideWater-quality trends and basin activities and characteristics for the Albemarle-Pamlico estuarine system, North Carolina and Virginia
The Albemarle-Pamlico estuarine system has a total basin area of nearly 31,000 square miles and includes the Neuse, Tar, Pamlico, Roanoke, Chowan, and Alligator Rivers, and the Albemarle, Pamlico, Currituck, Croatan, and Roanoke Sounds. Albemarle Sound receives the greatest freshwater inflow of all the sounds in the estuarine system. Inflow to this sound averages about 13,500 cubic feet per secondAuthorsD.A. Harned, M.S. DavenportU.S. Geological Survey second national symposium on Water quality; abstracts of the technical sessions, Orlando, Florida, November 12-17, 1989
The U.S Geological Survey (USGS) compiled and analyzed existing hydrologic and water-quality data from over 200 stream and estuary stations of the Abemarle-Pamlico estuarine system (A/P) to identify long-term temporal and spatial trends. The dataset included seven stations of the USGS National Stream Quality Accounting Network, two stations of the National Atmospheric Precipitation Deposition moniWater quality of the Neuse River, North Carolina - Variability, pollution loads, and long-term trends
Interpretation of water-quality data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey for the Neuse River, North Carolina, has identified water-quality variations, charactrized the current condition of the river in reference to water-quality standards, estimated the degree of pollution caused by man, and evaluated long-term trends in concentrations of major dissolved constituents. Two sampling stationsAuthorsDoughlas A. HarnedWater quality of the Neuse River, North Carolina: Variability, pollution loads, and long-term trends
A water-quality study of the Neuse River, N.C., based on data collected during 1956-77 at the U.S. Geological Survey stations at Clayton and Kinston, employs statistical trend analysis techniques that provide a framework for river quality assessment. Overall, water-quality of the Neuse River is satisfactory for most uses. At Clayton, fecal coliform bacteria and nutrient levels are high, but algaeAuthorsDouglas A. Harned