Big Branch is a long tributary of Crabtree Creek in Wake County, North Carolina, and is classed as a 2nd order stream on the EPA waters geoviewer site.
Course Big Branch rises in northern Raleigh, North Carolina, then flows south to meet Crabtree Creek across from Kiwanis Park. It is a developed watershed with only 7% of the watershed considered to be forested.
Watershed Big Branch drains of area. The upper part of the watershed is underlain by Falls Leucogneiss. The middle and lower watershed is underlain by Raleigh Gneiss geology. The watershed receives an average of 46.5 in/year of precipitation and has a wetness index of 415.15.
Development In 2021, the creek featured prominently in Kane Realty's proposal for the North Hills Innovation District. The creek runs through the middle of the district and forms a key feature of the district's outdoor space.
Also in 2021, the Interstate 40 (I-40) bridge over the creek was identified by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association as one of the six most-traveled bridges in North Carolina that was also "structurally deficient."
Wastewater In November 2020, heavy rains caused 87,780 gallons of sewage to overflow from a manhole; the sewage entered a tributary of Big Branch Creek.
In November 2018, heavy rains caused 220,000 of untreated wastewater to be discharged into a tributary of Big Branch Creek.City of Raleigh Public Utilities Department, Notice of Discharge of Untreated Waste, Raleigh News & Observer, November 16, 2018, p. 15.
See also List of rivers of North Carolina
External links Raleigh Nature Article on Big Branch
References