This local watershed planning initiative began in early 2008 and addresses the restoration and protection needs of the lower Catawba River. The local watershed is situated in Lincoln, Gaston, and Catawba counties.
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Tributary to Mill Creek in the Indian Creek watershed
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The focus of this Local Watershed Plan is Indian Creek (75 square miles), Howard’s Creek (34 square miles), and Middle South Fork (5 square miles).
These creeks are experiencing or are threatened with declines in habitat quality, elevated nutrients and elevated fecal coliform bacteria. The impacts are seen in the streams, their riparian areas and wetlands.
Effluent from wastewater treatment, the land application of sewage sludge, livestock facilities, a landfill and agriculture are possible sources of pollution in these areas. Indian Creek is also a water supply watershed, but the lower section has been on the N.C. 303(d) list since 2006 based on macrobenthos and fish community assessments. A decline in habitat quality may be one of the factors that affected these populations, but the source(s) and specific cause(s) are not known and the problem is being investigated as part of this study.
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