Research about Little Cross Creek

USGS2001

Susceptibility index to surface contamination for the Little Cross Creek watershed, Cumberland County, North Carolina

An index of surface-water contamination potential was constructed for the Little Cross Creek Basin, a 9.7-square-mile, water-supply watershed in Cumberland County, North Carolina. The index was developed because previous water-quality investigations raised concerns regarding inputs of bacteria, suspended sediment, and phosphorus from nonpoint sources in the watershed. A geographic information system was used to build map overlays and to categorize and rate three factors that affect the transport of water and contaminants-land-surface slope, distance to water, and land use/land cover. Each factor was weighted to reflect its potential contribution to surface-water contamination; the factors then were combined to estimate susceptibility values for the entire watershed. The numerical susceptibility values were categorized to indicate lowest to highest potential for surface-water contamination, and a map was produced showing the spatial distribution of these categories within the watershed. The susceptibility index for about 17 percent of the Little Cross Creek watershed is rated in the high or highest category. These areas have high slopes, short distances to the nearest surface water, impervious land cover, and land uses that generate contaminants. About 38 percent of the watershed area is rated as having low or lowest susceptibility to contamination. These areas contain flat terrain, greater distances to water, land cover that promotes infiltration, and land uses that pose little risk for generating contaminants. Approximately 43 percent of the watershed is in the moderate category of susceptibility. Open water, which is not rated, accounts for the remaining area. The susceptibility index provides water-resource managers with a tool that can aid in prioritizing areas within the Little Cross Creek Basin for monitoring, protection, and remediation. Previous suspended sediment, total phosphorus, and fecal coliform data collected in the Little Cross Creek watershed support the results of the susceptibility analysis. Although this susceptibility index is specific to the Little Cross Creek Basin, the methods used to develop the index are transferable to other watersheds.

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USGS2000

Hydrology and water quality of Little Cross Creek, Cumberland County, North Carolina, 1996-98

Little Cross Creek is a small stream located in Cumberland County, North Carolina, in the Sand Hills area of the Coastal Plain Province. From August 1996 through August 1998, the U.S. Geological Survey collected streamflow, water-quality, and time-of-travel data at 10 sites in Little Cross Creek Basin to assess ambient conditions and compute loads of suspended sediment, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and total organic carbon. Streamflows in the Little Cross Creek Basin responded to climatic factors and to human activities such as water withdrawals and controlled releases from impoundments. Peak streamflows were observed during the passages of Hurricane Fran in September 1996 and Hurricane Josephine in October 1996. Streamflows generally were lowest during the summer and early fall of 1997, reflecting drought conditions associated with a prevailing El Nino. At most sites, average streamflow per unit drainage area, or yield, was higher than yields reported previously for the Sand Hills. High yields may have resulted from unidentified inputs of water to the study basins or from underestimation of the contributing drainage area. Bonnie Doone Lake, Kornbow Lake, Mintz Pond, and Glenville Lake, four impoundments of Little Cross Creek, notably influence hydrology and water quality in the basin. Streamflow records indicate that these impoundments dampen peak stormflows and delay the downstream release of stormwater. Time of travel also is affected by seasonal stratification in the reservoirs. In general, sites downstream from reservoirs have lower concentrations of suspended sediment, turbidity, and total phosphorus than sites upstream from reservoirs or sites that receive stormwater runoff. Few water-quality problems were observed in the Little Cross Creek Basin for the constituents that were sampled. However, fecal coliform bacteria commonly exceeded 200 colonies per 100 milliliters at two of the seven monitored sites during the study. Relatively high concentrations of specific conductance, total phosphorus, and total ammonia plus organic nitrogen were observed in Clark Pond Creek, a tributary to Little Cross Creek. Loads and yields of suspended sediment, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and total organic carbon were computed for the period from October 1996 through September 1997. The highest suspended-sediment yield (230 tons per square mile per year) occurred upstream from Bonnie Doone Lake, probably because there were no impoundments upstream from this site to intercept sediment. Sediment yields at the remaining Little Cross Creek sites were low relative to yields reported from other urban basins in North Carolina. Downstream from Kornbow Lake, yields of suspended sediment (9.50 tons per square mile per year) and total phosphorus (0.011 ton per square mile per year) were very low. Clark Pond Creek had the highest yields ot total phosphorus (0.081 ton per square mile per year) and total organic carbon (11.5 tons per square mile per year). However, total phosphorus yields at all of the Little Cross Creek sites generally were lower than yields measured in other urban basins in the State. Comparison of inflow and outflow loads for the four Little Cross Creek reservoirs from October 1996 through September 1997 indicated that Bonnie Doone Lake trapped 92 percent of incoming sediment and 37 percent of incoming total phosphorus. Kornbow Lake trapped 57 percent of incoming sediment and 77 percent of total phosphorus inputs. Nitrogen was not effectively trapped by any of the reservoirs. An influx of sediment, total phosphorus, and total organic carbon was noted at a site downstream from Mintz Pond, and may have resulted from stormwater discharge from the U.S. Highway 401 bypass or from additional, unidentified sources in the watershed downstream from Kornbow Lake.

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