Photo by Nancy Davis 



5th Avenue Canal carries water from ditches to the sound 



25 percent for two days. Then he'll 

 measure the response of the fish and 

 shellfish. 



He'll also study how long it takes 

 the system to return to its original 

 state. It may be that some species can 

 handle the fluctuating salinities better 

 than others. 



Sea Grant researchers Overton and 

 Fisher will attack the freshwater 

 drainage problem from an engineering 

 angle. They'll measure how much 

 water flows into the creek and record 

 depth, temperature and salinity data. 

 In a second phase of their project, 

 they'll develop a mathematical com- 

 puter model to simulate the flow of 

 fresh water into the estuary. 



Also participating in the three-year 

 project are the N.C. Division of Soil 

 and Water Conservation, the N.C. 

 Division of Environmental Manage- 

 ment, and the N.C. Division of Marine 

 Fisheries. 



Sea Grant estuarine research will 

 complement the state-supported 

 Broad Creek project. Researchers will 

 probe the relationships between 

 predator and prey in the estuary. 

 They'll examine the food sources for 

 the commercially important spot and 



croaker. Wayne Skaggs and Wendell 

 Gilliam will develop a model to predict 

 the effect of different drainage 

 methods on the flow of water from the 

 fields. In his Sea Grant-supported pro- 



ject, Miller will investigate the recruit- 

 ment of juveniles to their nursery areas 

 and the resulting variation in juvenile 

 abundance and production. 



— Nancy Davis 



Clean water on tap for N.C. 



A lone boater putters across the Chowan River at dusk, 

 heading for the dock. With the sun and trees behind him, 

 everything appears postcard-perfect. But a closer look tells 

 us something is muddling the picture — and the water. 



Pollutants, sediments and toxics flow into the Chowan 

 and other North Carolina waterways every day. And the 

 situation may be getting worse with increased construction 

 and industrial development. 



Yet many state officials and citizens believe something 

 can be done to clean up our water. Several water projects 

 have already been initiated, and the N.C. General Assembly 

 recently appropriated nearly $7 million for the Clean Water 

 Budget of the N.C. Department of Natural Resources and 

 Community Development. 



This legislation, which has been on tap for two years, 

 provides funding for research and assistance programs 

 across North Carolina. A synopsis of the projects follows, 

 with emphasis on those relating to the coast. 



Coastal Water Management Program 



It's no secret to the individual coastal fisherman that the 

 catches just aren't as big as they used to be. No one is sure 

 what the cause is, but some speculate it may be a result of 



freshwater drainage into the brackish estuaries. 



To find some answers, the legislature appropriated funds 

 for research at Broad Creek in Hyde County. Three state 

 government agencies, in cooperation with Sea Grant 

 researchers, will study the effects of land drainage into the 

 estuaries. 



Anne Taylor, NRCD's deputy assistant secretary for 

 natural resources, sees this project as one in which the state, 

 farmers and fishermen can all work together. 



"The result of the Broad Creek demonstration project 

 should be the guidelines under which farming and forest 

 operations along the coast are managed in harmony with 

 the fishing industry," she says. "The significance of those 

 funds to do that research project should have long-term 

 ramifications." 



Money also was appropriated to the Division of Soil and 

 Water Conservation for a wetlands identification and map- 

 ping project in the Albemarle and Pamlico sounds area. 



Nutrient Sensitive Watershed Project 



A little greenery growing in our rivers and streams is all 

 right, but not if it becomes harmful. Bacteria and vegeta- 

 tion sprout when nutrients like phosphate and nitrogen seep 



