New Hiwassee River Basinwide water quality plan to be presented

On October 15th at 6:30pm, NC Division of Water Quality (DWQ) Basinwide Planner, David Toms will speak about the major findings and strategies of the ìHiwassee River Basinwide Water Quality Planî released earlier this year. The presentation will be held at Moss Memorial Library in Hayesville.

Basinwide water quality planning is a non-regulatory, watershed-based approach to restoring and protecting the quality of North Carolina's surface waters. Basinwide water quality plans are prepared by the NCDWQ for each of the seventeen major river basins in the state on a 5-year cycle.

The newest plan for the Hiwassee River basin was published in March 2007. It is a comprehensive document that addresses surface water quality in Clay and Cherokee counties, NC. Waters that were recently designated as impaired (i.e. not meeting water quality standards for designated uses) in the plan include a portion of the Valley River, Persimmon Creek and Martins Creek. Several challenges related to achieving water quality protection in the Hiwassee River basin discussed in the plan include impacts from steep slope disturbance, population growth, and stormwater runoff. Copies of the plan will be available at the meeting.

The October 15th presentation is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be provided by the Hiwassee River Watershed Coalition. Join us to learn more about the quality of streams and lakes in the North Carolina portion of the upper Hiwassee River watershed and what the Hiwassee River Watershed Coalition is doing to help restore and protect them.

For more information about NCDW'ís Basinwide Planning Program, visit www.hrwc.net. You may also call the HRWC office at 837-5414 for information.