Basins, but is nevertheless a problem that must be considered along the lines of control by coordinated effort, as suggested in the report of the Soil Erosion Service. CAPE FEAR RIVER 1. The Cape Fear River Basin, having an area of 8,570 square miles and located in eastern and central North Carolina, has a length of 200 miles. Its water sources are in the Piedmont Plateau regions. The main stream is formed by the junction of the Deep and the Haw Rivers. It flows southeasterly, emptying into the Atlantic Ocean at Cape Fear. The river is tidal from its mouth to Lock No. 1, located about 75 miles above its mouth. 2. Its principal tributary, the Northeast Cape Fear River, lies_entirely within the Coastal Plain, having a uniform and flat grade. It is tidal for about 50 miles above its mouth. 3. Another important tributary is Black River, also tidal for 24 miles and lying principally in the Coastal Plain. These tributaries are important principally as navigable streams, having no available power possibilities, nor flood problems. 4. The most important tributaries from the power standpoint are the parent streams, the Deep and Haw Rivers, Rockfish Creek, and Lower Little River. 5. Water supply.-The relatively high density of population in this basin makes the matter of water supply an important one. It appears from available statistics that some 136,000 persons are at present served by major systems utilizing surface supplies. This is, of course, in addition to the relatively large population served by minor supplies and in other ways. 6. Present development.-A considerable portion of the basin is used for agricultural purposes, growing cotton, tobacco, corn, peanuts, beans, and truck. Cotton is the most important crop. Lumbering is carried on over the entire basin, but is not of importance except in the Coastal Plain. Manufacturing is carried on extensively in the Piedmont region. It includes textiles, furniture, tobacco products, fertilizers, foodstuffs, and clay products. Its mineral resources are relatively unimportant. Wilmington, the only important seaport in North Carolina, is located 30 miles above the river's mouth. 7. The originally abundant forest resources of the basin have been largely exhausted. No public forests are located in the basin. The mean annual rainfall in the basin is about 48 inches. About one-third of the annual rainfall appears as run-off in its streams. The rainfall is ample for all crops and hence irrigation is not practiced. 8. There is but one important water-power development in the basin. It is at Buckhorn Falls in Chatham County, having an installed capacity of 2,900 kilowatts. There are many small power developments aggregating about 8,800 kilowatts installed capacity. 9. The principal cities and towns are prosperous and well populated. The density of population is well above the average for the South. 10. The Cape Fear Rivers have been improved for navigation as follows: A 30-foot channel, not less than 300 feet wide, has been provided from the sea to Wilmington, thence 22 feet deep and 250 feet wide to Navassa; a system of three locks and dams is being constructed to provide an 8-foot channel an additional 115 miles to Fayetteville; two of these have been constructed and the third authorized. 11. The project for the Northeast Cape Fear River provides for a channel 22 feet deep and 150 feet wide for 24 miles above its mouth, thence for clearing the natural channel to Kornegays Bridge, about 103 miles above Wilmington. About 6 feet can be carried 90 miles to Bannerman's Bridge. 12. The project for Black River provides for clearing the natural bed for 66 miles to Clear Run. About 5 feet is the minimum depth available to Point Caswell, 24 miles above the mouth, thence decreasing to about 12 feet at Clear Run. 13. The tidal portion of the river is connected with the Atlantic intracoastal waterway system, which provides a 12-foot channel north of the Cape Fear River and an 8-foot channel south. 14. Large floods occurred on the streams of this basin in 1895, 1901, 1908, 1928, and 1929-the most severe being that of 1908. A stage of 75 feet is reported to have been reached at Fayetteville. Floods are most likely to occur in February or March, but have occurred in all months except November. A flood of 50 feet or more at Fayetteville would be expected to inundate about 100,000 acres of land, of which about 17 percent is cultivated. 15. A study of flood damages in the basin shows damages from stages of 35 feet or more at Fayetteville to average about $116,000 annually. The major flood damages center at and around Fayetteville. Above Fayetteville several cotton mills are flooded in the major floods. 16. Proposed development.-No further navigation improvements are believed to be warranted on the streams of this basin other than as now authorized by existing projects. 17. A comprehensive plan for use of the water of this basin will include flood control and power development. Four power plants are to be located on the Haw River and one on the main stream. Two reservoirs, with limited power, but principally for flood control, are to be located-1 on the Deep and 1 on the Cape Fear. 18. The name, location, capacity, and costs of the reservoirs and power plants proposed are shown on a general map of the basin attached hereto. (See accompanying map.) The following table shows the general features of the project proposed, arranged in a suggested order of priority of construction: 19. The installed power capacity of the coordinated plan amounts to 134,700 kilowatts and the system load factor would be at 20 percent. 20. The annual charges against the proposed development would be approximately $2,600,000, and the annual returns in flood protection and power output approximately the same amount. 21. A report of the potential navigation, power, flood-control, and irrigation possibilities of the Cape Fear River has been recently made under the Chief of Engineers, War Department. This report is being published as House Document No. 193, Seventy-third Congress, second session. 22. Water resources investigations.-Any large scale program of intensive development in the Cape Fear River Basin will properly require additional basic stream flow and ground-water data to supplement the information now available. The estimated cost of such river measurement work is $7,500 and of ground-water investigations, $15,000. 23. Soil erosion. Some of the smaller existing reservoirs on tributaries of the Cape Fear have already lost much of their capacity from silting. Soil erosion is progressive in this basin and requires remedial measures to be taken. Control of the situation along the lines suggested by the Soil Erosion Service in its report herewith should be undertaken. The Cape Fear Basin now grows only about 47 percent of soil-saving crops with respect to all crops. 24. Reforestation and other adjusted land uses.-The condition described in the general statement for all southern river basins exists on that of the Cape Fear, though not to so large a degree as on the rivers farther south. A greater use of grass would help materially to control erosion. The forest cover on the Cape Fear drainage basin is 4,552,000 acres, or 83 percent of the land area and important in timber, wildlife and other forest production. Less than one-third of the watershed, however, is in the readily erosible lands, such as the Piedmont Plateau, where the forest has been classified as of major watershed value. (See accompanying map.) Restoration of an effective forest cover on such lands is important. Public acquisition of a high percentage of potential and actual forest land, particularly on the Piedmont Plateau, where unwise agricultural practices are resulting in disastrous soil destruction and land abandonment, should proceed promptly and aggressively. SOIL-EROSION PROBLEMS (Submitted by the Soil Erosion Service, Department of the Interior) PRINCIPAL DRAINAGES OF ATLANTIC REGION From the standpoint of the field of activities with which the work of the soil erosion service is concerned, the most beneficial use of the waters of these major Atlantic seaboard streams relates to that control of rainfall which would reduce, (a) run-off, (b) erosion of agricultural and grazing lands, (c) the covering of fertile valley lands with comparatively unproductive erosional debris, and (d) the filling of stream channels, reservoirs, and ditches with the products of erosion. Such control would have an important direct effect toward reduced |