The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality is taking parts of the Pamlico River off the list of impaired waters in the state.
Chlorophyll A is an indicator of how much nutrients are in the water, causing algae to be present, and Pamlico-Tar Riverkeeper Katey Zimmerman said it comes from runoff or industry discharge into the water.
She said agriculture contributes a lot of nutrients from their animal waste, and it’s also in fertilizer.”
More than 10,000 acres of the Pamlico River, running from Bayview to St. Clair’s Creek on the north side, Durham Creek to South Creek on the south side – around the Nutrien phosphate mine – and Pantego Creek at Belhaven are no longer considered impaired.
It comes after the methodology for identifying impaired waterways changed, and Zimmerman said it makes the waterways appear healthier than they are, so there is less prioritization to improve them.
One local waterway that is being added to the list is the Pamlico River in Washington from the N.C. Highway 17 Business Bridge to .75 miles downstream of Runyon Creek on the north side and half a mile downstream of Rodman Creek on the south side.
