The project was conducted to evaluate the contribution of ground water to the Albemarle-Pamlico (A/P) Estuarine Study area. Information concerning the hydrogeology of the area and the quality of shallow ground water was collected from a number of published and unpublished sources. The hydrogeologic framework of the four shallowest aquifers in the A/P region is described, and the recharge/discharge relationship between these aquifers and the A/P estuary is assessed. Qualitative information on the quality of water that is likely discharging from the surficial aquifer to the estuary is also presented. The four shallowest aquifers that likely contribute some ground-water discharge to the A/P estuarine system are the surficial, Yorktown, Pungo River, and Castle Hayne aquifers.