The New River is a 50-mile (80-km) long river in southeastern North Carolina in the United States. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean.
It rises in northwestern Onslow County and flows east-southeast past Jacksonville, where it widens into a tidal estuary approximately two miles (3.2 km) wide. As an estuary it meanders through Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune and enters the Atlantic in Onslow Bay, via the New River Inlet between two barrier islands. It is the only river in the United States where the headwaters and mouth of the river exist in the same county.
The Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway crosses the entrance of the river between the coast and the barrier island.
The river is periodically dredged for the convenience of commercial fishing operations.[1] The New River Inlet exit into the ocean has been moved by man via dredging projects. Since the fishing industry and political gains are greater by continuing this dredging project, it is causing the southern island from the inlet to slowly disappear. Since the man made inlet was placed north of the island, the island has begun to wash away due to the changes in currents.