Getting to Know the Tar-Pamlico: Just How Big Are We Talking?

Getting to Know the Tar-Pamlico: Just How Big Are We Talking?

So, you’re curious about the Tar-Pamlico River basin, huh? It’s a pretty big deal around here in eastern North Carolina – a real lifeline, actually. But when someone asks, “How big is it, exactly?” that’s where things get interesting.

We’re not talking about a little creek in your backyard. The Tar-Pamlico sprawls across a huge chunk of the state. You’ll see numbers floating around, but generally, we’re looking at somewhere between 6,100 and 6,400 square miles. Think about that for a second: that’s bigger than the entire state of Connecticut! Hard to wrap your head around, right?

And get this: it’s the fourth largest river basin in North Carolina. What’s even cooler is that its boundaries are completely within the state.

Now, the Tar River itself? It kicks off way up in the Piedmont – Person, Granville, and Vance counties to be exact. From there, it meanders for about 215 miles, heading southeast. As it gets closer to Washington, NC, things start to change. It widens, becomes tidal, and morphs into the Pamlico River. Eventually, it all flows into the Pamlico Sound. If you’ve never been, the Sound is massive – the biggest lagoonal estuary in North America, and second largest estuarine system in the whole US. Seriously impressive.

This whole basin touches a whopping 19 counties, including places like Beaufort, Dare, and even up to Franklin and Granville. You’ve got towns and cities like Louisburg, Rocky Mount, and Greenville all nestled within its reach. It’s a diverse area, no doubt.

The landscape is always changing. Up in the Piedmont, you’ve got rolling hills, but as you head east, it flattens out into the coastal plain. About two-thirds of the basin is coastal plain. That change in scenery means you get all sorts of different habitats – everything from fast-flowing streams to those calm, brackish estuaries down near the coast.

Most of the land is still pretty rural, which is nice. You’ll find a lot of forests, wetlands, and farmland. I read a report from back in ’04 that said over half the land was forest or wetland, and about a quarter was used for crops and pasture. Of course, things are changing, with more development happening all the time. It’s a balancing act, for sure.

But it’s not just the land we’re talking about. The Tar-Pamlico is all about water. There are over 2,500 miles of freshwater streams snaking through the basin. And those estuarine areas? We’re talking over 663,000 acres! Plus, you’ve got about 17 miles of coastline. Oh, and I almost forgot – Lake Mattamuskeet, the biggest natural lake in North Carolina, is right in the middle of it all.

So why does the size of this whole area matter? Well, it affects everything. The water quality, the types of animals and plants that can live here, the overall health of the whole system. The Tar-Pamlico is a nursery for all sorts of seafood and fish that people love to catch and eat. Protecting it isn’t just good for the environment, it’s good for our economy, too. It’s a big place, and a big responsibility.