The settlers were more literal in their naming of the
river. They had already encountered wide streams
or “broads” that flowed away from the ocean they
or their parents had crossed. But this river ran north-
west into what was then French territory and eventually
joined the mighty Mississippi. To the newcomers, it was plainly the French Broad.
The headwaters of the French Broad River spill from a 50-foot waterfall in Transylvania County.
Known as Court House Falls, the waterfall rushes into a creek that feeds the North Fork, which
joins the West Fork near Rosman and eventually the Middle and East forks to form the French
Broad. About half the land surrounding these headwater streams is forested, with much of the
basin within the Pisgah National Forest or Pisgah Game Lands. Steep slopes limit the land area
suitable for building and farming. In fact, the tallest mountain east of the Mississippi River rises
from this basin—Mount Mitchell stretches 6,684 feet skyward.
The French Broad River Basin drains land in both North Carolina and Tennessee. Besides the
French Broad River, the basin includes two other major watersheds in North Carolina: the Pigeon
and Nolichucky rivers—tributaries that join the French Broad in Tennessee. The Mills, Davidson,
and Swannanoa rivers are major tributaries of
the French Broad River in North Carolina.
T he Cherokee Indians already had countless names for the French Broad River bythe time white huntsmen first approached this mountain region. Their river was
“Long Man” and its tributaries “Chattering Children.”
Total miles of streams and rivers:
4,136
Municipalities within basin: 25
Counties within basin: 8
Size: 2,830 square miles
Population: 392,906 (2000)
(in North Carolina)
profile:
RIVERBASINFRENCH BROAD
The French Broad originates
from a tiny waterfall (left);
the basin's Mount Mitchell
is the tallest peak in the
East (below).
BEN T. WALTERS
BILL LEA
TnVa
Trout are abundant in the upper reaches of the basin, and many waters
have such good quality that the state classifies them as High Quality or
Outstanding Resource Waters. Outstanding Resource Waters in the
basin include most of the South Fork Mills River, the South Toe River
(a Nolichucky River tributary), and Cataloochee Creek and its tributaries (Pigeon River trib-
utaries). Such waters receive extra protection due to excellent water quality and exceptional
ecological or recreational significance.
Unique plants and animals also distinguish the French Broad River Basin. It’s the only river
basin in North Carolina where you’ll find the 9-inch aquatic salamander called the common
mudpuppy or the distinctive turtle known as the Eastern spiny softshell. The Cane River, which
feeds into the Nolichucky, contains several rare fish, notably almost the entire state population
of sharphead darters, striped shiners, stonecats and olive darters.
fast FACTS:Pink Beds
A large, flat valley with-
in the Pisgah National
Forest’s Cradle of For-
estry area contains the
most extensive system
of “upland valley” bogs
and marshes in the
Southern Appalachians,
according to the N.C.
Natural Heritage Pro-
gram. These wetlands
are home to North
Carolina’s largest pop-
ulation of the swamp
pink, a plant in the lily
family that is federally
listed as a threatened
species (pictured
above). The entire
area is nicknamed the
“Pink Beds” and got its
name from the resident
pink-blooming flowers
that also include wild
phlox and mountain
laurels.
A bobcat makes a rare
daytime appearance,
framed in fall foliage.
Hellbender (right); eastern
spiny softshell (far right)
BILL LEA
WAYNE VAN DEVENDER WAYNE VAN DEVENDER
USFWS
The most ecologically significant aquatic area in the basin is the lower section of the French Broad
River from the town of Marshall to the Tennessee state line. Numerous fish species found in no
other rivers of the state appear here, including the freshwater drum, banded sculpin and mooneye.
Two rare aquatic species live in all three watersheds of the French Broad: the hellbender, a large,
uncommon aquatic salamander; and the Appalachian elktoe, a freshwater mussel that is feder-
ally listed as endangered. Recreation, including fishing and rafting, also makes the French Broad
River an outstanding resource. Besides the basin’s ample trout fishing opportunities, the entire
French Broad River supports a celebrated muskie fishery. Below Asheville, the river falls and
tumbles, creating enough excitement to make “whitewatering” the main economy of Madison
County. There are nine rapids on the 8-mile section of river between Barnard and Hot Springs.
The Pigeon River below Canton has been a
hot spot for decades as wastewater discharges
from a paper plant caused serious pollution of
the river. In spite of improvements made at the
plant in the ‘70s and ‘80s, dioxin (a byproduct
of the bleaching process and a significant con-
taminant) still entered the river. The paper com-
pany, now known as Blue Ridge Paper Prod-
ucts, replaced chlorine as a bleaching agent in
1993. Employees bought the company in 1999,
pledging to cooperate with state agencies and
environmentalists to improve the condition of
the river. A decade ago, an observer might see
a solid raft of foam on the Pigeon River from
the company’s wastewater. Today the view is
of a progressively cleaner river that supports
rafting, paddling and fishing.
ASHEVILLE IS
THE BASIN’SLARGEST CITY.
CHARLES BRASWELL JR.
fast FACTS:Rock Window
The faulted and folded
rocks of the Hot Springs
area form an extraordi-
nary geologic “window”
where one can see sed-
imentary rock buried
under older metamor-
phic rock. Other nearby
earthly attractions
include Paint Rock
and Lover’s Leap.
CHARLES BRASWELL JR.
GEORGE HUMPHRIES
Pigeon River
FRENCH BROADRIVER BASIN
You may notice “French
Broad River Basin” signs
posted along highways
throughout the basin.
The signs are part of a
statewide educational
program to raise pub-
lic awareness that we
all live in a river basin
and that our individual
actions affect the
quality of its waters.
Signs in all 17 river
basins of the state
are made possible by
a partnership between
the N.C. Department of
Environment and Nat-
ural Resources and the
N.C. Department of
Transportation, along
with funds from the
Federal Transportation
Enhancement Program.
Looking Glass Falls, Transylvania
County (left); a whitewater kayaker
finds thrills, not spills (above).
Nature lovers pause along
the Appalachian Trail in the
Pisgah National Forest.
Water quality is generally good in the basin, but several areas still cause
concern. The greatest impacts on water quality occur along the middle
and lower French Broad River and some smaller tributaries. Apple
orchards and croplands for corn, tomatoes and burley tobacco, along
with dairy operations and urban development, contribute significant
amounts of nonpoint source pollution. Those pollutants include pes-
ticides, fertilizer, oil, heavy metals, animal wastes and eroded sediment
that are washed from land or paved surfaces when it rains. Individuals
also contribute to this type of pollution through everyday activities
like maintaining their lawns and gardens, washing and servicing their
vehicles, and leaving behind pet waste when walking their dogs.
N.C. DIVISION OF TOURISM, FILM AND SPORTS DEVELOPMENT
BILL LEA
KEN TAYLOR, NCWRC
State of North Carolina: Governor Michael F. Easley • North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources: SecretaryWilliam G. Ross Jr. • Office of Environmental Education: Director Anne Taylor • This publication was funded through the Clean Water
Act’s Section 319 Grant Program: Project Manager Lisa Tolley • Editor Carla Burgess • Designer Kimberly Schott, Red Gate Design
• Special Thanks North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission • Date: 2002 • No state funds were used to print this public document.
Printed on recycled paper
JODY DUGGINS, NCWRC
JODY DUGGINS, NCWRC
KEN TAYLOR, NCWRC
The Little River flows
through the 10,400-acre
DuPont State Forest.
In the future, urban growth may surpass agricul-
ture as the major cause of nonpoint source pol-
lution in the basin. Between 1982 and 1992,
cultivated and uncultivated cropland decreased
by about 67 percent, while urban and devel-
oped lands grew by about 42 percent. Hender-
sonville and Black Mountain are among the
fastest growing cities in the basin. As popula-
tion and development increase, so will the chal-
lenges for protecting the basin’s water resources.
Major revitalization efforts are under way in
Asheville, the basin’s largest city, to protect
and promote the French Broad River as a
recreational resource. Civic groups, local governments and researchers
have joined hands to revitalize the river. The resulting organization,
RiverLink, stages events every year to raise money for conservation
efforts. RiverLink also runs the Volunteer Water Information Network,
one of the state’s largest water quality monitoring efforts conducted
by volunteers. Other groups in the basin also are working to protect
streams and rivers in the basin.
Triple Falls, Dupont
State Forest
View from Looking
Glass Rock
WHERE SHOULD
I GO
WHAT CAN I DO
WHO SHOULD
I CONTACT
?
??
What makes the French Broad River Basin special? See for yourself. Visit these
Environmental Education Centers to discover more about your ecological address:
� BackCountry Outdoor Education Center
� Blue Ridge Parkway
� Bullington Horticultural Environmental
Education Center
� Colburn Gem and Mineral Museum
� Eagle’s Nest Foundation
� Flat Rock Nature Center
� Forest Discovery Center, Cradle of
Forestry in America
� Holmes Educational State Forest
� Long Branch Environmental Education Center
� Mount Mitchell State Park
� Mountain Horticultural Crops
Research Station
For more information about Environmental Education Centers in North Carolina, call
the Office of Environmental Education at (919) 733-0711, or check out the Web site
at http://www.ee.enr.state.nc.us
� Do your part to positively influence water quality in the French Broad River Basin.
� Get involved in basinwide planning or a local organization interested in rivers and
streams in the river basin.
� Take the time to learn about the environmental consequences of your actions.
The following contacts can provide information:� North Carolina Office of Environmental Education, Department of Environ-
ment and Natural Resources, (800) 482-8724 or (919) 733-0711, Web site:
http://www.ee.enr.state.nc.us
� Stream Watch Program, Division of Water Resources, Department of Environment and
Natural Resources, (919) 733-4064, Web site http://www.ncwater.org
� Land of Sky Regional Council, (828) 251-6622, Web site http://www.landofsky.org
� Pigeon River Fund, (828) 254-4960, Web site http://www.pigeonriverfund.org/
� RiverLink/French Broad Riverkeeper, (828) 252- 8474, Web site http://www.riverlink.org
� Volunteer Water Information Network (VWIN), University of North Carolina at Asheville,
(828) 251-6823
� Haywood Waterways Association, (828) 452-9077, Web site http://www.haywoodwaterways.org
� Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Division of Soil and Water Conservation, Depart-
ment of Environment and Natural Resources. Go to http://www.enr.state.nc.us/DSWC/
files/dos.htm for a listing of all county offices, call (919) 733-2302 or check your local
phone book in the county government blue pages.
To find out more about water quality in the French Broad River Basin, contact the Division
of Water Quality’s Basinwide Planning Program, Department of Environment and Natural
Resources, at (919) 733-5083, Web site http://h2o.enr.state.nc.us/basinwide/.
� Mountain Trail Outdoor School
� Purchase Knob: Appalachian Highlands
Science Learning Center
� The North Carolina Arboretum
� North Carolina Outward Bound School
� North Fork Water Treatment Facility
and Education Center
� Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education
� Swannanoa 4-H Educational Center
� Western North Carolina Nature Center
� YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly
Environmental Education Center
� YMCA Camp Greenville
NCWRC