Land use in the area is mostly agriculture, although the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, the city of Goldsboro, and the town of La Grange are located with 10 to 15 miles of the creek.
Because of the surrounding land use, West Bear Creek experiences large nitrate fluxes, resulting in poor water quality.
Corbett, K. Stone, P. Pham, and H. Mitasova (2010), Comparison of Darcian flux calculations and conventional seepage meter measurements in a sandy streambed in North Carolina, USA, Water Resources Research 46, W09501, doi:10.1029/2009WR008342.
Corbett, and H. Mitasova (2009), Spatial and temporal dynamics of coupled groundwater and nitrogen fluxes through a streambed in an agricultural watershed, Water Resources Research, 45, W09401, doi:10.1029/2008WR007397.
Corbett (2008), Spatial and temporal variability of streambed hydraulic conductivity in West Bear Creek, North Carolina, USA, Journal of Hydrology, 358, 332-353, doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2008.06.017.