A river basin is the land that water flows across or under on its way to a river. It is the drainage area of a river. As a bathtub catches all the water that falls within its sides, a river basin sends all the water falling on the surrounding land into a central river and out to an estuary or the sea. Saltwater is desalinated to produce water suitable for human consumption or irrigation. The by-product of the desalination process is brine. Desalination is used on many seagoing ships and submarines. Most of the modern interest in desalination is focused on cost-effective provision of fresh water for human use. Along with recycled wastewater, it is one of the few rainfall-independent water sources.

1. North Carolina Watersheds
and River Basins
By Kella Randolph
Copyright 2019
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/Neuse_River-27527.jpg/1200px-Neuse_River-
27527.jpg

2. What is a River Basin?
• A river basin is the land that
water flows across or under on
its way to a river. It is the
drainage area of a river. As a
bathtub catches all the water
that falls within its sides, a
river basin sends all the water
falling on the surrounding land
into a central river and out to
an estuary or the sea.
• Image:
https://www.ncwildlife.org/Conserving/Habitats/North-
Carolina-River-Basins)

3. Watershed • Land that drains into a specific body of water is a watershed.
It is all the land drained by a river.
Image left: https://images.app.goo.gl/TNQuvZccGbaSkoi4A
Image above: https://images.app.goo.gl/fq67Ky6nEaWzRHoMA

4. What is groundwater?
Groundwater is the water
found in cracks and pores in
sand, gravel and rocks below
the earth’s surface.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/Groundwaterimage.jpg

5. Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a natural system linked by
living and non-living things. So an ecosystem
may include the soil, water, air and the
plants, animals, birds and insects of a specific
area.
Image left:
http://www.openlearningworld.com/World_Geography/imgs/figure
_7.6.1.jpg
Image above:
https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5245/5366897663_b156729c10_b.jpg

6. Estuary
An estuary is a semi-enclosed area where fresh water from a river meets salty water from the sea
https://www.e-education.psu.edu/earth107/sites/www.e-
education.psu.edu.earth107/files/Unit1/Mod1/BayareaUSGS.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/Mid_to_upper_reach_of_Ythan_Est
uary_looking_west%2C_Aberdeenshire.jpg/1200px-
Mid_to_upper_reach_of_Ythan_Estuary_looking_west%2C_Aberdeenshire.jpg

7. There are several river
basins in North Carolina
• The land near each river basin drains into
that river. We call the land that “sheds”
water into the river a “watershed”.
https://images.app.goo.gl/SNHC3CihLDaV5vvo8

8. https://www.carolana.com/NC/Transportation/nc_watersheds.html

9. Know your watersheds
https://images.app.goo.gl/6CQc5HfmWyAW8AJ49
This map shows the town of Chapel Hill, N.C.
Each named area is the body of water into
which the watershed drains.

10. Earth’s water budget
• The same amount of water on the planet today
was present 3 billion years ago. Water on Earth
circulates continuously. It falls as rain, filters into the
ground to recharge aquifers and runs along the
earth’s surfaces, creeks, rivers and streams. That
same water is absorbed by roots of plants and then
some of it transpires through the plants or
evaporates through the surface soil, That vapor then
re-enters the atmosphere and rises to form clouds,
then falls again as rain or snow.
Discover North Carolina’s River Basins: file:///C:/Users/Kella/AppData/Local/Temp/discover-nc-river-
basins-booklet.pdf
https://upload. _Management_with_trees.webm/437px--
wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/StormwaterStorm
water_Management_with_trees.webm.jpg
https://62e528761d0685343e1c-
f3d1b99a743ffa4142d9d7f1978d9686.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/
81071/area14mp/image-20150508-22773-1bi6vh6.jpg

11. (17) major River Basins
within North Carolina
NORTH CAROLINA HAS 17 MAJOR RIVER BASINS.
Five of the state’s river basins—the Hiwassee, Little
Tennessee, French Broad, Watauga and New—are
part of the Mississippi River Basin, which drains to
the Gulf of Mexico. All the others flow to the
Atlantic Ocean. Of the 17 basins, 11 originate in
North Carolina, but only four are contained entirely
within the state’s borders—the Cape Fear , Neuse,
White Oak and Tar-Pamlico.
Broad River
Basin Cape Fear River Basin Catawba River Basin
Chowan River
Basin
French Broad River Basin Hiwassee River Basin
Litte Tennessee
River Basin
Lumber River Basin Neuse River Basin
New River
Basin
Pasquotank River Basin Roanoke River Basin
Savannah River
Basin
Tar-Pamlico River Basin Watauga River Basin
White Oak
River Basin
Yadkin River Basin

12. Groundwater in coastal areas
• Ground water is a vital resource for communities and
ecosystems of the Atlantic coastal zone. Ground-water
withdrawals for public supplies, agriculture, industry, and other
uses in coastal counties from Maine to Florida were about 7.7
billion gallons per day in 1995, and in many coastal communities,
ground water is the primary or sole source of drinking-water
supply. Ground water sustains the flow of coastal streams and
rivers and is a source of freshwater to coastal ponds, wetlands,
and other coastal ecosystems. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
has a long history of conducting scientific studies of ground water
in the Atlantic coastal zone. This Circular draws heavily on the
body of scientific knowledge developed over several decades of
USGS monitoring and studies.
• Above text: https://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/2003/circ1262/#heading152526608
• Right Image and text: https://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/2003/circ1262/#heading152526608)
Population (A) and ground-water withdrawals (B) by county,
1995, in States along the Atlantic coast of the United States.
More than two-thirds of the population of these States live
in coastal counties, defined as having at least 15 percent of
their land area in a coastal watershed (National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, 1998).

13. Groundwater in coastal areas (continued)
Because of a growing awareness of the critical role of
ground water in sustaining coastal populations,
economies, and ecosystems, the time is right to review
some of the important water-management issues and
scientific principles related to ground water in the
Atlantic coastal zone, and to identify some of the
scientific and management challenges that lie ahead.
This Circular describes the occurrence and flow of
freshwater and saltwater in ground-water systems of
the Atlantic coastal zone; reviews the causes, modes,
and management of saltwater intrusion along the
Atlantic coast; and illustrates some of the mechanisms
of ground-water discharge and contaminant loading to
coastal ecosystems. The Circular also illustrates
traditional approaches for monitoring and managing
saltwater intrusion, and highlights some of the
innovative approaches being used to enhance the
sustainability of coastal ground-water resources, such
as desalination and aquifer storage and recovery
systems. As coastal populations and ground-water use
increase, new monitoring and research efforts will be
needed to characterize the occurrence and movement
of saline ground water in different types of coastal
terrains and to better understand linkages between
ground-water discharge and quality and the health of
coastal ecosystems. The USGS looks forward to
continued service to the citizens of the Atlantic coastal
zone, providing science to help them manage their
water resources.
(Text:
https://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/2003/circ1262/#heading152526608)
Ground-water flow paths in an idealized coastal
watershed along the Atlantic coast. Fresh ground water is
bounded by saline ground water beneath the bay and
ocean. Fresh ground water discharges to coastal streams,
ponds, salt marshes, and tidal creeks and directly to the
bay and ocean. Image and text:
https://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/2003/circ1262/#heading152526608)

14. Depletion of Fossil
Water Resources
By their very definition fossil water resources
will eventually run out one they begin being
used. For over 50 years Libya has relied on fossil
water supplies that are now dwindling but the
prospect of fossil water reserves running out is
not limited to the Middle East or northern
Africa. Parts of the former USSR, India, China
and Mexico all depend on non-renewable water
taken from ancient aquifers. In the United States
a number of the Great Plains states take a
considerable amount of their water from a fossil
water aquifer. This water reservoir is the
Ogallala Aquifer or the high planes Aquifer.
Estimates forecast this aquifer being empty in
25 years. The disruption is likely to be immense
as the aquifer covers portions of eight states,
and supplies 82% of the drinking water for these
states and around 30% of the water used for
crop irrigation in the area.
(https://www.azocleantech.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=167 Written by
AZoCleantechJun 23 2009)
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-
CwZ37uwlim8/U_gcAN1D0gI/AAAAAAABGUE/cnAHYYa7U-
0/s1600/waste%2Bfacility.jpg
https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/courses-images-archive-read-only/wp-
content/uploads/sites/667/2015/06/22204248/aquifersandwells.gif

15. Alternate Options to Fossil
Water
• For poor countries there are few options available
other than using fossil water supplies. For wealthier
nations options include desalination of saltwater
from oceans. The problem with this is that fossil
water supplies have no regard for international
boundaries. Neighboring countries may share an
aquifer and one country is unlikely to use the
expensive desalination option while its neighbor
continues to cheaply extract fossil water.
(https://www.azocleantech.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=167 Written by AZoCleantechJun 23 2009)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thu
mb/0/01/Faryab-_village_dug_well.JPG/1200px-Faryab-
_village_dug_well.JPG
https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3501/3801125543_54f92b0e1e_z.jpg?zz=1

16. Brackish Water
• Brackish water is water having more salinity
than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It
may result from mixing seawater with fresh
water together, as in estuaries, or it may occur in
brackish fossil aquifers.
https://wikiislam.net/wiki/images/thumb/a/a1/Estuary.jpg/400px-
Estuary.jpg
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/FwiQcXNV7-JcDQikxtqQbZCd7K1-
3mYMjstHksI7PWUccJ4uaC5rI-D1jE1FIrmssEz55pk=s128

17. Desalinization
is an expensive process
that poorer countries
cannot afford.
• Desalination is a process that takes away mineral
components from saline water. More generally, desalination
refers to the removal of salts and minerals from a target
substance, as in soil desalination, which is an issue for
agriculture. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desalination)
https://www.e-education.psu.edu/earth111/sites/www.e-
education.psu.edu.earth111/files/Module10/TampaBayDesalinationPlantProce
ss_HR.jpeg
https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Desalination-Plant2-
e1516544826721.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&quality=75&strip=all&ssl=1

18. Desalinization
• Desalination is a process that takes away mineral components from saline water. More generally, desalination refers to
the removal of salts and minerals from a target substance, as in soil desalination, which is an issue for agriculture.
• Saltwater is desalinated to produce water suitable for human consumption or irrigation. The by-product of the
desalination process is brine. Desalination is used on many seagoing ships and submarines. Most of the modern
interest in desalination is focused on cost-effective provision of fresh water for human use. Along with recycled
wastewater, it is one of the few rainfall-independent water sources.
• Due to its energy consumption, desalinating sea water is generally more costly than fresh water from rivers or
groundwater, water recycling and water conservation. However, these alternatives are not always available and
depletion of reserves is a critical problem worldwide. Desalination processes are usually driven by either thermal (in
the case of distillation) or electrical (e.g., photovoltaic or wind power) as the primary energy types.
• Currently, approximately 1% of the world's population is dependent on desalinated water to meet daily needs, but the
UN expects that 14% of the world's population will encounter water scarcity by 2025. Desalination is particularly
relevant in dry countries such as Australia, which traditionally have relied on collecting rainfall behind dams for water.
• Kuwait produces a higher proportion of its water than any other country, totaling 100% of its water use.
(Story from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desalination)