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EcoScience Corporation (ESC) is one of two firms that have been selected by NCDENR to provide stream headwater mapping (i.e., the identification and delineation of intermittent and perennial stream origins) in four Middle Coastal Plain watersheds ranging in size from 1,900 to approximately 4,000 acres.
The primary goal of the study is to improve the accuracy of where starting points of intermittent and perennial stream channels are depicted on mapping. Accurate stream mapping is essential for planning and regulatory implementation purposes. The accuracy of existing mapping identifying intermittent and perennial stream start points and on-ground locations is insufficient for use beyond preliminary planning purposes.
A secondary goal of the study is to improve the accuracy of how streams are depicted by existing mapping, which often understate (as in the case of USGS mapping) or overstate (in the case of local Soil Survey and GIS mapping) the presence and extent of stream channels on a given parcel of land. By performing statistical
analyses to determine the watershed size threshold sufficient to support a stream in conjunction with LIDAR modeling, study results will likely help improve the graphical representation of stream channel coverage on existing mapping.
In order to accomplish the study objectives, each watershed will be traversed and valleys and drainage features will be evaluated for the presence of intermittent and/or perennial streams. The start points of intermittent and perennial streams will be identified in conjunction with current DWQ stream identification methodology and surveyed with GPS technology to sub-meter accuracy.
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