Pristine 

 and 

 Protected 



By Sarah Friday Peters 



The best just got better in North 

 Carolina. 



On Sept. 14, the N.C. Environmental 

 Management Commission designated 

 almost 200,000 acres of coastal rivers and 

 lakes as "outstanding resource waters." 



Now seven water bodies from the 

 Alligator River to Masonboro Sound carry 



Fisherman Murray Bridges works 

 Alligator River, its surrounding sound and 

 the ocean for a living. 



In the winter, he catches perch and 

 flounder in the river's black waters. Other 

 times, he pulls in mullet, croaker, gray 

 trout, catfish, whitefish and blue crabs. 



So far, Bridges hasn't seen too much 

 pollution in the area but he isn't a scientist, 

 he says. 



Still, scientists agree with Bridges. 



The Alligator River is surrounded by 

 forests and farmland. No known sources 

 of pollution seep into it. The water is dark, 

 organically rich and has a low pH. 



Fisheries resources thrive. Vegetation 

 such as widgeon grass and wild celery 

 covers the lower third of the riverbed. 



extra protections against degradation. 



Like a principal honoring her best stu- 

 dents with scholarships, the state chose its 

 most pristine coastal waters and placed 

 more stringent water quality standards on 

 them. 



From the public to the U.S. Congress, the 

 move has garnered praise as an aggres- 

 sive program to protect coastal resources. 



But some scientists and environmental 

 groups say it's not enough. 



North Carolina's coast boasts approxi- 

 mately 2,044,374 acres of saltwater estu- 

 aries and sounds. Of that, 181,000 acres, 

 or about 9 percent, were nominated as 

 ORWs. Carteret County's Core Sound and 

 the Alligator River in the Albemarle region 

 make up 85 percent of that. 



Photo by Scott Taylor 



Black bear, red fox and even alligators 

 roam its borders. 



Like every water body in North Carolina, 

 the Alligator River is classified by how it's 

 used. Each classification also specifies the 

 maximum amount of pollutants the water 

 can handle before there's damage, says 

 Derb Carter, an attorney with the Southern 

 Environmental Law Center. 



At the coast, SA waters, for example, 

 protect shellfishing and demand the 

 toughest water quality standards. SB 

 waters, designated for recreation and 

 fisheries, accept some sewage, bacteria 

 and other pollutants. SC waters are safe 

 for fishing and swimming but have a 

 higher risk of pollution than SB waters. 



The federal Clean Water Act in 1972 



recommended states take a step beyond 

 such measures and protect unspoiled 

 rivers, lakes and sounds. 



By 1986, North Carolina began its ORW 

 program inland in places such as the 

 South Toe River in Yancey County and the 

 Cataloochee River in Haywood County. 



The push for coastal ORWs began a 

 year later with a petition to the EMC, a 

 17-member environmental commission that 

 adopts regulations for controlling pollution. 



Industry waste, failing septic tanks, con- 

 struction, mining, and stormwater runoff 

 from development, farms and forestry foul 

 some coastal waters. 



But to qualify as an ORW, each site must 

 show no known sources of pollution and 

 carry a water quality rating of excellent. 



In addition, it must have resources or 

 uses that make it unique such as recrea- 

 tional use, outstanding fishing habitat or 

 special ecological significance. 



To find such waters, state and federal 

 agencies tested coastal water chemistry 

 and fecal coliform levels, and reviewed fish 

 and shellfish resource data, seagrass bed 

 information, land-use plans and permit 

 actions. 



By Sept. 1988, they had culled the best. 

 Eight ORWs were nominated and ac- 



Coastal 

 outstanding 

 resource waters 



The Environmental 

 Management Commission 

 designated ORWs in these 

 areas with outstanding water 

 quality and other valuable 

 resources, such as Washmgtc 

 productive fisheries. 



Source: N.C. Department ot Environment. 

 Health and Natural Resources 



LockWOOds Folly River (Not reclassified, 

 but protected under special plan) 



Graphic courtesy of The News & Observer 



Stump Sound 



Topsail Sound and 

 Middle Sound 



Masonboro Sound 



