North Carolina Administrative Code
Title 15A - Environmental Quality
Chapter 02 - ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
Subchapter B - SURFACE WATER AND WETLAND STANDARDS
Section .0300 - ASSIGNMENT OF STREAM CLASSIFICATIONS
Section 02B .0311 - CAPE FEAR RIVER BASIN

(a) Classifications assigned to the waters within the Cape Fear River Basin are set forth in the Cape Fear River Basin Classification Schedule, which may be inspected at the following places:

(b) The Cape Fear River Basin Classification Schedule was amended effective:

(c) The Cape Fear River Basin Classification Schedule was amended effective June 1, 1988 as follows:

(d) The Cape Fear River Basin Classification Schedule was amended effective July 1, 1988 by the reclassification of Crane Creek (Crains Creek) [Index No. 18-23-16-(1)] from source to mouth of Beaver Creek including all tributaries from C to WS-III.

(e) The Cape Fear River Basin Classification Schedule was amended effective January 1, 1990 as follows:

(f) The Cape Fear River Basin Classification Schedule was amended effective January 1, 1990 as follows: Big Alamance Creek [Index No. 16-19-(1)] from source to Lake Mackintosh Dam including all tributaries has been reclassified from Class WS-III NSW to Class WS-II NSW.

(g) The Cape Fear River Basin Classification Schedule was amended effective August 3, 1992 with the reclassification of all water supply waters (waters with a primary classification of WS-I, WS-II or WS-III). These waters were reclassified to WS-I, WS-II, WS-III, WS-IV or WS-V as defined in the revised water supply protection rules (15A NCAC 02B .0100, 02B .0200 and 02B .0300), which became effective on August 3, 1992. In some cases, streams with primary classifications other than WS were reclassified to a WS classification due to their proximity and linkage to water supply waters. In other cases, waters were reclassified from a WS classification to an alternate appropriate primary classification after being identified as downstream of a water supply intake or identified as not being used for water supply purposes.

(h) The Cape Fear River Basin Classification Schedule was amended effective June 1, 1994 as follows:

(i) The Cape Fear River Basin Classification Schedule was amended effective September 1, 1994 with the reclassification of the Deep River [Index No. 17-(36.5)] from the Town of Gulf-Goldston water supply intake to US highway 421 including associated tributaries from Class C to Classes C, WS-IV and WS-IV CA.

(j) The Cape Fear River Basin Classification Schedule was amended effective August 1, 1998 with the revision to the primary classification for portions of the Deep River [Index No. 17-(28.5)] from Class WS-IV to Class WS-V, Deep River [Index No. 17-(41.5)] from Class WS-IV to Class C, and the Cape Fear River [Index 18-(10.5)] from Class WS-IV to Class WS-V.

(k) The Cape Fear River Basin Classification Schedule was amended effective April 1, 1999 with the reclassification of Buckhorn Creek (Harris Lake)[Index No. 18-7-(3)] from the backwaters of Harris Lake to the Dam at Harris Lake from Class C to Class WS-V.

(l) The Cape Fear River Basin Classification Schedule was amended effective April 1, 1999 with the reclassification of the Deep River [Index No. 17-(4)] from the dam at Oakdale-Cotton Mills, Inc. to the dam at Randleman Reservoir (located 1.6 mile upstream of U.S. Hwy 220 Business), and including tributaries from Class C and Class B to Class WS-IV and Class WS-IV & B. Streams within the Randleman Reservoir Critical Area have been reclassified to WS-IV CA. The Critical Area for a WS-IV reservoir is defined as 0.5 mile and draining to the normal pool elevation of the reservoir. All waters within the Randleman Reservoir Water Supply Watershed are within a designated Critical Water Supply Watershed and are subject to a special management strategy specified in Rule .0248 of this Subchapter.

(m) The Cape Fear River Basin Classification Schedule was amended effective August 1, 2002 as follows:

(n) The Cape Fear River Basin Classification Schedule was amended effective November 1, 2004 as follows:

(o) The Cape Fear River Basin Classification Schedule was amended effective November 1, 2007 with the reclassifications listed below, and the North Carolina Division of Water Resources maintains a Geographic Information Systems data layer of these UWLs.

(p) The Cape Fear River Basin Classification Schedule was amended effective January 1, 2009 as follows:

(q) The Cape Fear River Basin Classification Schedule was amended effective August 11, 2009 with the reclassification of all Class C NSW waters and all Class B NSW waters upstream of the dam at B. Everett Jordan Reservoir from Class C NSW and Class B NSW to Class WS-V NSW and Class WS-V & B NSW, respectively. All waters within the B. Everett Jordan Reservoir Watershed are within a designated Critical Water Supply Watershed and are subject to a special management strategy specified in Rules .0262 through .0273 of this Subchapter.

(r) The Cape Fear River Basin Classification Schedule was amended effective September 1, 2009 with the reclassification of a portion of the Haw River [Index No. 16-(28.5)] from the Town of Pittsboro water supply intake, which is located approximately 0.15 mile west of U.S. 15/501, to a point 0.5 mile upstream of the Town of Pittsboro water supply intake from Class WS-IV to Class WS-IV CA.

(s) The Cape Fear River Basin Classification Schedule was amended effective March 1, 2012 with the reclassification of the portion of the Haw River [Index No. 16-(1)] from the City of Greensboro's intake, located approximately 650 feet upstream of Guilford County 2712, to a point 0.5 miles upstream of the intake from Class WS-V NSW to Class WS-IV CA NSW, and the portion of the Haw River [Index No. 16-(1)] from a point 0.5 miles upstream of the intake to a point 0.6 miles downstream of U.S. Route 29 from Class WS-V NSW to Class WS-IV NSW.

(t) The Cape Fear River Basin Classification Schedule was amended effective November 1, 2019 with the reclassification of a portion of Sandy Creek [Index No. 17-16-(1)] (including tributaries) from a point 0.4 mile upstream of SR-2481 to a point 0.6 mile upstream of N.C. Hwy 22 from WS-III to WS-III CA. The reclassification resulted in an updated representation of the water supply watershed for the Sandy Creek reservoir.