Neuse River
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Neuse_River".

Along much of its length, the Neuse River is characterized by loose, sandy banks; muddy water year-round, and a dense tree canopy overhead.
Along much of its length, the Neuse River is characterized by loose, sandy banks; muddy water year-round, and a dense tree canopy overhead.

The Neuse River is a major permanent stream rising in the piedmont of North Carolina, emptying into the Pamlico Sound below New Bern. Its total length is approximately 275 miles (443 km),[1] and its drainage basin, measuring 14,582 square kilometres (9,061,000 mi) in area, lies entirely inside the state of North Carolina. It is formed by the confluence of the Flat and Eno Rivers prior to its entering the artificial Falls Lake reservoir in northern Wake County. Its fall line shoals lie submerged under the waters of Falls Lake.

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Geography

Map showing the Neuse and Tar River watersheds.
Map showing the Neuse and Tar River watersheds.

Typical of rivers in the Coastal Plain of North Carolina, the Neuse enters a basin of intermittent bottomland swamp on its journey towards its outlet. One interesting exception is the "Cliffs of the Neuse" area near Goldsboro, where the river cuts a narrow 30 m (90 ft) gorge through limestone and sandstone bluffs. The Neuse is prone to extremes in its flow carriage, often escaping its banks during wet periods, then reducing to a trickle that can be forded on foot during prolonged drought conditions.

The Neuse flows through parts of seven counties. Major cities and towns in proximity to the Neuse are Durham, Neuse Township; Raleigh, the capital of North Carolina; Smithfield; Goldsboro; Kinston; and New Bern.

Crabtree Creek is a major tributary of the Neuse; it flows in the Wake County area.

History

The river's ties to human history are long, and many artifacts traced to ancient Native American settlement have been found along its muddy banks. In 1865, one of the first ironclad warships built by the Confederate Navy, the "Ram Neuse", was burnt and sunk to the river bottom by occupying Union Soldiers. It was discovered during historically low water, raised in 1963, and placed beside the river at the Governor Caswell Memorial in Kinston.

Water Quality

A bridge over the Neuse River at New Bern, where the Trent River empties into it. The Neuse is at the top of the picture, and the Trent is at the bottom.
A bridge over the Neuse River at New Bern, where the Trent River empties into it. The Neuse is at the top of the picture, and the Trent is at the bottom.

The Neuse has been plagued in recent years with environmental and public health problems related to municipal and agricultural wastewater discharge, storm runoff, and other sources of pollution.[2] Pollution was particularly bad in the aftermath of Hurricanes Fran and Floyd in the late 1990s.

The dinoflagellate Pfiesteria piscicida[3][4][5] is present in the river, and is affected by nutrient levels in the river. This organism is sometimes connected to fish kills as well as adverse health effects in humans.

Tributaries: West Bear Creek, Bear Creek

References

  1. ^ Neuse River, The Columbia Gazetteer of North America
  2. ^ History of water quality problems, About the Neuse
  3. ^ Pfiesteria, About the Neuse
  4. ^ Pfiesteria, USDA
  5. ^ Facts about Pfiesteria, NCDENR

External links
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