The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) Division of Water Resources (DWR) is accepting public comment through Oct. 17, 2024, on the 2024 Broad River Basin Plan. Basin plans help state and local leaders identify areas needing additional protection, restoration or preservation to ensure waters of the state are meeting water quality standards.
The Broad River Basin Plan focuses on water quality data that was collected between 2008 and 2022. Nearly 10% of the rivers and streams and 52% of the reservoirs and lakes in the basin were identified as impaired on the 2022 Integrated Report. Most of the impairments are associated with aquatic communities (benthic macroinvertebrates and fish), but the basin is also impacted by turbidity, fecal coliform bacteria, temperature and nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus). Where applicable, the basin plan includes a brief discussion of changes in water quality that were identified during plan development.
The basin plan also includes an overview of water use and availability in the basin and suggestions for how best to protect the state’s water resources. The 2024 basin plan is the fourth document to be developed for the basin.
The headwaters and major tributaries of the Broad River basin begin in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The river flows south-southeast through the foothills and southern Piedmont into South Carolina, where it merges with the Saluda River then the Catawba River, then forms the Santee River before reaching the Atlantic Ocean. The North Carolina portion of the Broad River basin covers 1,513 square miles. Land cover in the basin is primarily a mix of forest (62%), agriculture (19%), and development (13%). Cleveland, Polk and Rutherford counties comprise most of the land area in the basin.
Comments will be accepted through October 17 by email DEQ.DWR.BasinPlanning@deq.nc.gov. Written comments can be mailed to:
N.C. DEQ Division of Water Resources
ATTN: Niki Maher, Basin Planner
1611 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1611
For more information on DWR’s basin plans, visit Basin Planning Branch | NC DEQ.