Water quality of North Carolina streams. Chapter E
Technical Report
·
OSTI ID:6433150
Interpretation of water-quality data for the Yadkin-Pee Dee River system, has identified water-quality variations, characterized 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. Overall, the ambient water quality of the Yadkin-Pee Dee River system is satisfactory for most water uses. Iron and manganese concentrations are often above desirable levels, but they are not unusually high in comparison to other North Carolina streams. Lead concentrations also periodically rise above the recommended criterion for domestic water use. Mercury concentrations frequently exceed, and pH levels fall below, the recommended criteria for protection of aquatic life. Dissolved-oxygen levels, while generally good, are lowest at the Pee Dee near Rockingham, due to the station's location not far downstream from a lake. Suspended sediment is the most significant water-quality problem of the Yadkin-Pee Dee River. The major cation in the river is sodium and the major anions are bicarbonate and carbonate. Nutrient concentrations are high enough to allow rich algal growth. Eutrophication is currently a problem in the Yadkin-Pee Dee, particularly in High Rock Lake. Statistically significant trends show a pattern of increasing concentration of most dissolved constituents over time, with a leveling off and declines in the middle of late 1970's. Relatively steady increases in sulfate and in nitrate and a steady decrease in pH with time probably are largely due to the increasing acidity of atmospheric precipitation. 43 figs., 22 tabs.
- Research Organization:
- Geological Survey, Reston, VA (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 6433150
- Report Number(s):
- USGS-WSP-2185-E; ON: TI86900260
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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