DATE: Wednesday, June 18, 1997              TAG: 9706180550

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 

SOURCE: BY JENNIFER LANGSTON, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: MANTEO                            LENGTH:   93 lines

NEIGHBORING WATERS THREATENED BY POLLUTION AND COASTAL GROWTH

Growth along the North Carolina coast and pollution from farms, lawns and urban construction are the two biggest threats to the future health of the waters surrounding the Outer Banks, a state study says.

After seven years of monitoring lakes, streams and sounds in the Pasquotank River Basin, the North Carolina Division of Water Quality issued a draft report of its findings. Environmental officials met with citizens Monday to get public response to the plan.

State officials hope it will serve as a blueprint for state agencies, local governments and citizens to help protect the region's fisheries and restore waters that have been harmed by pollution.

Included in the study were parts of Albemarle and Pamlico sounds, including the Pasquotank, Perquimans, Little, Scuppernong and Alligator rivers, as well as the Currituck, Croatan and Roanoke sounds. In recent years, state programs have been moving toward addressing water quality issues from the headwaters of rivers to the sounds where they empty.

``Our water quality programs are on a basinwide scale. They're not isolated - you have to look at the whole basin,'' said Suzanne Hoover, an environmental specialist with the North Carolina Department of Environment, Health and Natural Resources. ``We see it as an opportunity for innovative problem-solving.''

Studies showed that in many areas, water quality in the Pasquotank River Basin was fairly good, officials said. Each body of water has been classified according to its use - for drinking water supply, commercial shellfishing, swimming or wildlife habitat. Quality standards are based on whether the water is clean enough to support those uses.

Among freshwater streams and rivers, 41 percent were fully functioning, 34 percent were threatened but still in relatively good health, 10 percent were classified as impaired and 14 percent were not evaluated. Hoover said those numbers were about average compared to other parts of the state.

Saltwater areas were healthier. Ninety-one percent were fully supporting their designated uses, eight percent were threatened and less than one percent were classified as impaired. These numbers were better than other coastal areas in the state, Hoover said.

There were pockets that showed problems, however.

Fecal coliform bacteria, typically a product of failing septic tanks, livestock farms and improperly treated wastewater, contaminated 4,862 acres of estuarine waters, or about one percent of the basin's total. Shellfish harvesting has been closed in some waters surrounding the Outer Banks as a result, the report said.

Elevated nutrient levels were found in parts of the Pasquotank River, the Alligator River, Tulls Creek, the North Landing River and Currituck Sound. Excess nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, can cause algae blooms, which contribute to fish kills.

Controlling non-point source pollution - nutrients, sediment and toxins that wash into rivers from farms and lawns, land stripped of plants and hard surfaces like parking lots - was one of the report's major concerns.

``It's not something where you can point to a pipe and say, `That's where it's coming from,' '' said Lin Xu of the North Carolina Water Quality Division. He heads a team of experts that recently received a $100,000 federal seed grant for pollution reduction projects.

During the next year, they will educate farmers about ``best management practices'' for agricultural land - including keeping livestock out of streams, reducing fertilizer use and rotating crops. Homeowners can also plant their lawns with native grasses that do not require heavy chemical additives.

The report recommends preserving sensitive natural areas, developing stormwater management plants, and limiting erosion from construction sites. Leaving vegetation along streams and shorelines can help control chemical runoff and prevent erosion that muddies waters.

The report also warned that growth along the coastal areas may strain drinking water supplies in the coming years. As more people move to the Outer Banks, the demand for sewer systems and the loss of natural habitat also increases.

Some of the burden will fall on local governments to strike a balance between economic development and protecting water quality on which fisheries depend, the report said.

The 200-page document was drafted after the monitoring studies and public workshops held in Manteo and Elizabeth City last summer.

``We tried to get more information about what local people think are the priority water quality issues,'' Hoover said, encouraging local residents to review the plan and send written comments. ``Just submit them in, and we'll use them to make the plan better.''

Copies of the report are available by calling (919) 733-5083, Ext. 573. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic

WATER QUALITY REPORT

After seven years of monitoring lakes, streams and sounds in the

Pasquotank River Basin, the North Carolina Division of Water Quality

issued a draft report of its findings.

Environmental officials met with citizens Monday to get public

response to the plan.

State officials hope it will serve as a blueprint for state

agencies, local governments and citizens to help protect the

region's fisheries and restore waters that have been harmed by

pollution.