The Cape Fear River Basin, which is completely contained within the state of North Carolina, is the largest river basin in the state. The basin starts in the north central Piedmont region, near Greensboro and High Point, and ends on the coast. There are 9,324 square miles in the basin or 16.5% of the total land area. The Cape Fear also contains the largest number of stream miles – 6,204 miles. The Cape Fear River Basin contains all or part of 27 counties. The counties are Alamance, Bladen, Brunswick, Caswell, Chatham, Columbus, Cumberland, Duplin, Durham, Forsyth, Guilford, Harnett, Hoke, Johnston, Lee, Montgomery, Moore, New Hanover, Onslow, Orange, Pender, Randolph, Robeson, Rockingham, Sampson, Wake, and Wayne. Over 21% of the entire state's population (1,465,451 people) reside in the Cape Fear River basin. Much of this population lives in the 114 municipalities that lie within the drainage area. About 35% of the streams in the Cape Fear River Basin are considered threatened and 18% are impaired by pollution. Sediment is the major pollutant, but other types of pollution which pose significant threats to water quality include nutrients, oxygen-demanding wastes, and toxic substances. The pollution comes from different sources: urban stormwater, construction, agriculture, and waste water treatment plants. Approximately 27% of the basin's estuarine waters are use-impaired. This impairment is due to fecal coliform bacteria and low oxygen levels. There has been an increase in the number of shellfish bed closures because of pollution caused primarily by urban
