Cape Fear River

 

202 mi (325 km) long, formed in E central N.C. by the junction of the Deep and Haw rivers, and flowing southeast to enter the Atlantic Ocean S of Wilmington and N of Cape Fear; longest river entirely within North Carolina. Dams and locks make the river navigable to Fayetteville, but its valley is especially prone to flooding, as happened after Hurricane Floyd (1999).

Cape Fear River
The Cape Fear River, shown highlighted, with its tributaries
Origin	North Carolina
Mouth	Atlantic Ocean
Basin countries	United States
Length	202 mi (325 km)
Avg. discharge	3,885 ft³/s (110 m³/s)

The Cape Fear River is a 202-mile (325 km) long blackwater river in east central North Carolina in the United States. It is the longest river entirely within North Carolina, and it flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Fear, from which it takes its name. The overall water quality of the river is continuously measured and monitored by the Lower Cape Fear River Program.

Course

It is formed at Haywood, near the county line between Lee and Chatham counties, by the confluence of the Deep and Haw rivers just below Jordan Lake. It flows southeast past Lillington, Fayetteville, and Elizabethtown, then receives the Black River approximately 10 miles (16 km) northwest of Wilmington. At Wilmington, it receives the Northeast Cape Fear River and turns south, widening as an estuary and entering the Atlantic approximately 3 miles (5 km) west of Cape Fear.

During the colonial era, the river provided a principal transportation route to the interior of North Carolina. Today the river is navigable as far as Fayetteville through a series of locks and dams. The estuary of the river furnishes a segment of the route of the Intracoastal Waterway.

See also

• List of North Carolina rivers

Sources and external links

• Cape Fear River discharge data

The port in Wilmington on the Cape Fear River estuary

Lock and Dam No. 1 on the Cape Fear River in Bladen County

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