During 1976-79 data were collected at three sites on the Black River, near Dunn, North Carolina, to define water-quality and other hydrologic conditions prior to channel excavation. Samples collected over a range in flow from 1.2 to 900 cubic feet per second contained 1 to 81 mg/L (milligrams per liter) of suspended sediment, 37 to 108 mg/L of dissolved solids, and 0.21 to 1.0 mg/L of total nitrogen. Water-level fluctuations in wells located within 100 feet of the Black River were almost identical with those of the stream.