This region contains Albemarle and Currituck Sounds and their respective drainage basins (the Roanoke and Chowan, two major rivers that flow into Albemarle Sound are addressed in their own regional summaries).

Albemarle Sound is surrounded by ten North Carolina counties with Croatan and Roanoke Sounds to the southeast. Currituck Sound is bordered by Back Bay, Virginia to the north, Currituck County to the west, and Currituck Banks to the east.

The Alligator, Perquimans, Little, Pasquotank, and North Rivers, along with many other smaller tributaries, drain over 2,600 square miles in North Carolina and Virginia and flow into Albemarle Sound. Currituck Sound receives water from three sources in Virginia: the North Landing River, the Northwest River, and tributaries from Back Bay estuary. The entire drainage region covers approximately 1.7 million acres.

The Currituck Sound drainage basin contains 469,000 acres; 220,000 acres in northeastern North Carolina and 249,000 acres in southeastern Virginia. The Albemarle Sound basin accounts for over 1,200,000 acres within North Carolina and Virginia. Of the region's total acreage, over a third is devoted to agriculture and another third is forested. Wetlands, military land, and developed areas make up the remaining third. While most of the drainage region is rural in nature, some densely populated areas are located on the region's fringe.

Both Albemarle and Currituck Sounds are shallow, relative to their area, and circulation of the fresh to brackish water is governed by wind movement. The closest inlet to the ocean is Oregon Inlet, and saltwater from this source is quickly diluted by the fresh water delivered by the rivers that drain into the sounds.

Since 1585, however, at least six tidal inlets have cut channels through Currituck Banks linking Currituck Sound with the Atlantic Ocean. On Currituck Banks, a new inlet has the highest probability of occurring between Back Bay, Virginia and Corolla, North Carolina. An inlet resulting from a major coastal storm would most likely be rapidly filled, however, due to development and transportation pressures in the region. In such a scenario, only temporary and regional impacts on the water chemistry and ecosystem of the sounds would occur.

The population of the North Carolina portion of the region is 101,000; 86,000 residents in the Albemarle Sound drainage basin and 15,000 in the Currituck Sound Drainage Basin. While the North Carolina region has a relatively low population density, large regional and seasonal population increases are typical.

In contrast to the predominantly rural nature of the North Carolina drainage region, Virginia Beach, VA, located on the northern edge of the Currituck Sound Drainage Basin, is highly urbanized with a population of over 262,000.

The eastern-most land boundary of the drainage basin, the Outer Banks of North Carolina, is currently experiencing rapid development rates. The proximity of the Outer Banks to the heavily populated cities of the northeast makes it a popular vacation destination. Urban and residential areas, to support a high level of tourism and recreation, are more common in this region.

Twenty-four marinas are located in the waters of the Albemarle Sound drainage basin while the Currituck Sound drainage basin has only two.

In general, water quality in both Albemarle and Currituck Sounds is good and waters of the basin support intended uses. Point and nonpoint source pollution from agriculture, forestry, and development are responsible for most estuarine and fresh water impairment in the region. Particulate matter, dissolved nutrients, toxic metals, turbidity, and salinity are the most important concerns in the region.

Currituck Sound Drainage Basin
Assessments of water quality indicate that the waters of the Currituck Sound Drainage Basin fully support their uses. This conclusion, however, is based on minimal data and sampling. Recent investigations indicate that the waters of Currituck Sound are potentially threatened by four primary sources: 1) nonpoint source runoff from agriculture, logging, and development; 2) septic waste contamination from increased development on Currituck Banks; 3) increased turbidity levels caused by maintenance dredging of the Intracoastal Waterway channel; and 4) saltwater intrusion and increased pollution loading from several canals linking the sound to drainage basins in southeast Virginia. Interbasin diversions of water from agricultural practices has also affected freshwater inflow to Currituck Sound.

Toxic pollutant loading in the basin is minimal and the Currituck drainage basin is one of the least polluted in the A/P Sounds region. No direct dischargers of heavy metals have been identified as contributing directly to the basin. Nonpoint sources of toxic metals have also been determined to be minimal. Toxic contamination and potentially dangerous levels of metals in fish tissues, however, have been identified in Tull's Bay. Additional sampling may be needed to fully assess toxic contamination in the Currituck Sound area.

Pasquotank River/Albemarle Sound Drainage Basin
Of the 464 miles of freshwater rivers and streams that make up the Pasquotank River/Albemarle Sound drainage basin, 66% are impaired. The three major causes are low dissolved oxygen, nutrients, and turbidity. Impairment in the freshwater areas of the basin is largely attributed to nonpoint source agricultural runoff. While the Roanoke and Chowan Rivers are not included in discussions regarding the quality of fresh water within the drainage basin, they have a considerable influence and impact upon the Albemarle Sound estuarine water quality.

Water quality in the estuarine waters of the Albemarle Sound drainage basin is generally good. Overall, support of the basin's estuarine water uses is fairly high with 14% of the basin's estuarine waters impaired. Dioxin, low dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll a, and heavy metal contamination accounts for most of the impairment in the estuarine basin.

Point source pollution is the largest contributor to water quality impairment in the estuarine waters of the Albemarle Sound drainage basin, affecting approximately 11% of the basin's waters. Nonpoint sources contaminate approximately 3% of the basin's estuarine waters.

An exception to the generally good water quality in the estuarine waters of this basin occurs at the mouths of the Roanoke and Chowan Rivers. In this area, eutrophication and dioxin contamination result in impaired water quality for all of the waters of the Yeopim River, at Sandy Point, at Leonard's Point, and at Plymouth.

Overall toxics loadings from all tributary rivers to the Albemarle estuarine system are higher than those in the Pamlico and Neuse estuaries. The Albemarle basin receives the greatest amount of toxic pollutants from the Roanoke River. To a lesser extent, the Pasquotank and Chowan River Basins also provide a source of toxic loading to Albemarle Sound. Of particular concern are concentrations of heavy metals in sediments in the Pasquotank River, especially in the Elizabeth City area. This location accounts for the largest concentration of toxic metal-contaminated sediment sites in the A/P Sounds region. Sediment metal concentrations were also of concern at one site in the Scuppernong River and one site near Edenton.

Toxic concentrations of heavy metals and other pollutants observed in water, sediments, and fish tissues collected in several areas of the western Albemarle basin have raised concern about the potential impacts that these contaminants may have on aquatic life and human health and this area currently has a fish consumption advisory in effect for dioxin contamination.

Two sites of greatest concern for human health in the Albemarle basin are Phelps Lake and the Corapeake Ditch off the Great Dismal Swamp, both of which are contaminated with mercury. The greatest concerns for wildlife are observed at Phelps Lake and New Lake, both of which are contaminated by metals, and in Albemarle Sound near the Norfolk and Southern Railroad Bridge, which is contaminated by dioxin. In Croatan and Roanoke Sounds, shellfish closures increased by 98% and 62% respectively between 1980 and 1990.

Discharge from the Dare County Landfill has been identified as having the potential to produce toxic concentrations of metals during low flow conditions. In addition, other potential nonpoint sources of toxic pollutants include twenty-one marinas. The largest concentration of marinas occurs near Elizabeth City and on Roanoke Island. The Albemarle basin also contains two hazardous waste treatment, storage, and disposal sites, six Superfund sites, and five solid waste sites.

A moderate amount of the region's vital habitats are protected through government and public ownership. Almost 46,000 acres are reserved for state game lands and 30,000 acres are in state parks. Federal wildlife refuges occupy 106,000 acres and an additional 6,000 acres are considered federal seashore lands.

The region's wetlands are a valuable environment for migratory waterfowl. Scattered throughout the drainage basin, wetlands support flood control, provide wildlife habitat, and enhance water quality. In most of the region, agricultural runoff is filtered through wetlands before entering the sounds. This natural filtering mechanism removes a portion of the nutrient load from the runoff, thereby reducing the amount of agricultural nutrients entering the sound system. Although submerged aquatic vegetation provide most of the food for waterfowl in the area, marshes are also a significant source.

Currituck Sound Drainage Basin 
The Currituck area provides an important winter habitat for waterfowl. Marshes within the basin are also popular sites for waterfowl hunting and sports fisheries. Populations, however, have been steadily declining in recent decades.There are two federally-listed endangered species in the ecosystem, the bald eagle and the peregrine falcon, and a federally threatened species, the piping plover.

A diversity of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) species is present but concentrations are low. Historical observation records indicate an almost complete disappearance of SAV in Back Bay. In Currituck Sound, major shifts in density and SAV species assemblages have occurred. Currently, SAV beds are much less dense. High turbidity appears to be a potential cause of this decline. Damage to SAV habitat is also caused by eutrophication and changing salinity patterns.

Pasquotank River/Albemarle Sound Drainage Basin
The Albemarle Sound region is home to a great variety of natural communities, including rare natural communities and rare species habitats. The basin provides a winter home to at least seventeen kinds of waterfowl, including Canada and snow geese, black duck, and scaup. Herons, alligators, bears, and white-tailed deer live in the basin's forests and swamps.

The region supports a variety of important freshwater and brackish species such as largemouth bass, bluegill, catfish, and perch. Both commercial and recreational fishing are important activities in the sounds and throughout the waters of the region. This area is especially important for recreational freshwater fishing.

Striped bass, herring, and shad, anadromous species which live in marine waters but migrate into freshwater to spawn each spring, also enter the Currituck/Albemarle region. While this region is one of the most important for the spawning runs of anadromous species, it contains the most obstructions to spawning areas.

Currituck Sound Drainage Basin 
In the Currituck area, anadromous species use 60 miles of the rivers and streams to spawn. Commercial fishermen in this area use mostly sink gill nets, river herring pound nets, and eel pots.

Pasquotank River/Albemarle Sound Drainage Basin
The waters of Albemarle Sound have over 160 acres of nursery areas for estuarine fish species. The region includes almost 400 miles of spawning areas for anadromous fish. Striped bass are of particular concern in the Albemarle region. Much research and policy attention has addressed the depressed status of this fish population. Habitat loss, fishing pressure, and water quality concerns are all believed to be factors that have contributed to the decline of this species and need to be further explored.

Commercial fishermen working in the Pasquotank River/Albemarle Sound Drainage Basin region employ pound nets, crab pots, sink gill nets, catfish pots, eel pots, and trotlines to harvest fish.