West Bear Creek facts for kids
West Bear Creek is a small stream in eastern North Carolina. It flows into Bear Creek, which is part of the much larger Neuse River basin. Think of it like a small road that leads to a bigger highway, which then connects to a superhighway!
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West Bear Creek: A North Carolina Stream
West Bear Creek is an important part of the natural world in North Carolina. Even though it's a small stream, it plays a role in the health of the larger rivers it connects to. Understanding how small streams work helps us protect all our water sources.
Where is West Bear Creek?
This creek is located in the eastern part of North Carolina. It's not far from cities like Goldsboro and the town of La Grange. The Seymour Johnson Air Force Base is also within 10 to 15 miles of the creek.
What is a Watershed?
West Bear Creek is part of a "watershed". A watershed is like a big bowl where all the rain and snow that falls drains into a common stream, river, or lake. So, all the land around West Bear Creek that drains water into it is its watershed. This water eventually makes its way to the Neuse River.
The Ground Beneath the Creek
The ground around West Bear Creek is mostly made of sandy and silty materials, along with some rich, dark organic soils. Deep underground, the creek gets its water from something called an "aquifer". An aquifer is like a giant underground sponge made of rock or sand that holds water. The Black Creek aquifer is the main source of this deep groundwater for West Bear Creek.
How People Use the Land Around the Creek
Most of the land around West Bear Creek is used for agriculture. This means farmers grow crops there. While farming is very important for food, the way land is used can sometimes affect the water in nearby streams.
Why is the Water Quality Important?
Because of the farming and other activities nearby, West Bear Creek has a lot of "nitrates" in its water. Nitrates are a type of chemical that can be found in fertilizers used on farms. When there are too many nitrates, the water quality can become poor. This can harm the plants and animals that live in the creek.
What are Nitrates?
Nitrates are natural compounds that contain nitrogen and oxygen. They are important for plants to grow. However, too much of them in water can be a problem. They can cause too much algae to grow, which then uses up the oxygen that fish and other creatures need to survive.
How Does Agriculture Affect the Water?
When farmers use fertilizers on their fields, some of the nitrates from these fertilizers can wash into the creek, especially after it rains. This is why West Bear Creek has been studied a lot. Scientists want to understand how these chemicals move through the ground and into the water.
Protecting Our Rivers
Learning more about how water moves through the ground and how farming affects it helps us find ways to keep our rivers clean. Scientists continue to study West Bear Creek to learn more about its "hydrology" (how water moves) and how we can protect its water quality for everyone.
