Description of Urban Land Use as a Human Activity Fffecting Fish Habitat in Southeast Atlantic States
from the National Fish Habitat Partnership's 2015 Through a Fish's Eye Report
Summary
The southeastern states contain the rapidly growing urban centers of Atlanta, Greenville, Columbia, Charlotte, and Winston-Salem/Raleigh with suburban corridors between them. In these cities and the surrounding suburbs, large areas of impervious surfaces replace natural streamside habitat, increase pollution and sedimentation, and alter water flow (hydrology). In this 2015 assessment, land cover type was estimated to be a major risk factor for about one-third of the estuaries of the Southeastern states. The United States Department of Agriculture reports that from 1982 to 2012 over 2.6 million acres of rural land in Georgia was developed. Development in North Carolina was almost as high, while South Carolina lost over 1.3 million [...]
Summary
The southeastern states contain the rapidly growing urban centers of Atlanta, Greenville, Columbia, Charlotte, and Winston-Salem/Raleigh with suburban corridors between them. In these cities and the surrounding suburbs, large areas of impervious surfaces replace natural streamside habitat, increase pollution and sedimentation, and alter water flow (hydrology). In this 2015 assessment, land cover type was estimated to be a major risk factor for about one-third of the estuaries of the Southeastern states. The United States Department of Agriculture reports that
from 1982 to 2012 over 2.6 million acres of rural land in Georgia was developed. Development in North Carolina was almost as high, while South Carolina lost over 1.3 million acres of rural land. These increases in urban development result in excessive sedimentation, especially with the clay-based soils of the Southeast, and increased pollution. This results in declining fish and invertebrate populations near cities and downstream of the urban areas. A recent study showed a correlation with the
increase in Atlanta-area development and the decrease of three groups of aquatic insects. Another effect of urbanization is an increasing demand for water.
From 2011 through 2013, Georgia experienced drought, which peaked when up to 80 percent of the state was estimated to be in extreme drought conditions. These conditions seriously reduced the flow of the Flint and Chattahoochee Rivers that Atlanta uses for water supplies, and greatly affected the oyster fishery in Apalachicola Bay, Florida, which led to interstate disputes over water allocation.
The U.S Geological Survey (USGS) is partnering with the National Fish Habitat Partnership (NFHP) to produce the 2015 report entitled, "Through a Fish's Eye: The Status of Fish Habitats in the United States 2015". The information contained within this item is a product of NFHP. The Bureau is neither responsible nor liable for the accuracy or the use of the scientific content within this item. This content is considered preliminary pending subsequent review and approval.
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Urban land use effecting a tributary to Maple Creek in Greer, South Carolina
