Population Growth

The urban areas abutting the New and White Oak Rivers and their tributaries are growing at unprecedented levels. The population of Jacksonville, the largest of the three municipalities in the subbasin, grew 54.4 percent from 1990 to 2000. The sustained growth of this area is virtually guaranteed as a result a decision by the Base Realignment and Closure Committee to increase the number of service members assigned to Camp Lejeune and MCAS New River by over 11,000 in the next two to five years. This increase will potentially result in an overall population growth of up to 50,000 to 60,000 new residents in a relatively short time.

The problems associated with such rapid urban growth are staggering. Increased contamination from stormwater runoff alone threatens to overwhelm this fragile and challenged watershed. Only through an aggressive campaign of citizen education, improved infrastructure, and effective enforcement can any hope be held out for this already impaired sub-basin.

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