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The Cape Fear River Basin |
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No one knows how the Carolina Bays
were created. Some of these oval basins are filled
with water, forming lakes. They are an important
part of the lower Cape Fear River Basin. You will
learn more about them later. |
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River Basin
The Cape Fear River Basin is the largest river basin in North Carolina.
It covers 9,322 square miles. The
headwaters of the Cape Fear River begin in the
Piedmont, north of Greensboro. The
main stem is formed where the Haw River meets
the Deep River, just west of Raleigh. From there, the Cape Fear
River travels southeast. It crosses the Coastal Plain before entering the Atlantic Ocean near
Wilmington.
Today, there are 5 natural lakes and 32
man-made
reservoirs in the Cape Fear River Basin. The
natural lakes are all Carolina Bays. Carolina Bays are oval
basins found in southeastern North
Carolina, South Carolina, and northeastern Georgia. No one
knows how they were created. Reservoirs, like Jordan Lake, were
made by building dams in the river. The reservoirs are
used for drinking water and
hold flood waters. They are also places where people can swim and boat.
Most of the
reservoirs in the Cape Fear river basin are found in the upper
part of the basin. They provide drinking water for cities
like Greensboro, Burlington, Durham, and
Chapel Hill.
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