The New River Basin is located in northeastern North Carolina, although the majority of the basin is actually in Virginia and West Virginia. It is sometimes reffered to as the Kanawha
River. It is the fourth smallest basin in North Carolina. It covers 754 square miles and is home to almost 70,500 people. Within in river basin, there are six municipalities and three counties. It is estimated that the river may be around 300 million years old, making it one of the oldest rivers in the world. There are many plants and animals that thrive in the New River Basin, mainly because of it's excellent water quality. It is one of the only rivers that flows from North to South.
The New River is named an "American Heritage River", one of only fourteen others in
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The New River Basin has a very large area of
Fraser Fir Trees, or "Christmas Trees". Cutting down the trees, as well as other construction, can cause sediments to loosen up. There are also pesticides and fertilizers that contain harmful chemicals. When it rains, or when snow melts, these get washed into the river, therefore polluting it.
Another major pollutant of the New River is waste runoff, from both humans and animals. House builders have to be very careful when building septic tanks and sewers to ensure that no waste will leak out. Cities need to have good waste treatment plants to keep water clean. Everybody who lives in this river basin is responsible for keeping the river clean and pollution-free.
There are many reasons that it is important to keep the river basin clean. One is for the wildlife and plants. The New River provides water for a lot of living things in the basin. If the basin gets polluted, so does their water source. If it's polluted bad enough, this could even kill them. There are many species of fish that live in the New River, some even only found in this river, so everyone needs to work to keep the environment clean and safe. Bog turtles are