Neuse River

Catchment areas of the Neuse and Tar River

Long stretches of Neuse River is characterized by loose, sandy shores, muddy brown water and overhanging trees

The Neuse River is a river which rises in the Piedmont region of the State of North Carolina in the United States of America and flows south from New Bern to Pamlico Sound. Its length is about 440 km, the catchment area covers 14 582 square kilometers and lies entirely within the state borders.

Neuse River is formed by the confluence of the Flat River and the Eno River before it flows through the reservoir Falls Lake in northern Wake County. The fall line of the river and the shallows below the water surface of the Falls Lake. The Neuse River is on the list of endangered rivers in America in eighth place.

Geography

A typical flow of the coastal plain of North Carolina Neuse River flows on its way to the mouth by a broken pelvis swampy river valleys. The only exception are the Cliffs of Neuse near the town of Goldsboro, here crosses the river a 30-meter narrow ravine by the shore cliffs of limestone and sandstone. This is also the Cliffs of the Neuse State Park. The river is subject to extreme fluctuations in discharge quantity, on the one hand in wet periods, it often occurs on the shore, on the other hand it will shrink during dry periods to the size of a stream, which you can traverse on foot.

The Neuse River flows through portions of seven counties, major cities and towns in the vicinity of the river are Durham, Neuse Township, the state's capital Raleigh, Smithfield, Goldsboro, Kinston and New Bern.

One of the major tributaries is the Crabtree Creek in Wake County.

History

The banks of the Neuse River to be settled very long, many artifacts from the history of North American Indians and their colonization of the shore were found on the Neuse River. 1865 was one of the first armored warships that were built by the Confederate Navy, the Ram Neuse, applied by Union soldiers, set on fire and sunk in the Neuse River. The wreck was discovered at Historic Tiefstwasser, 1963 raised and built next to the river at the Governor Caswell Memorial in Kinston.

Water quality

Caused the river, due to discharge of waste water from cities and agriculture, storm damage and other polluting causes, repeatedly environmental and health problems. After the two hurricanes Fran and Floyd in the 1990s, the levels were extremely high.

The alga Pfiesteria piscicida is widespread in the river and its population depends on the nutrient content of the water. This alga is brought into connection with the death of fish and with adverse health effects in humans.