U.S. Water News Online
LAKE WYLIE, S.C. -- Images of the last severe drought to hit the northern part of the state remain vivid in the minds of South Carolina residents along the Catawba River.
In 2002, buzzards feasted on dead fish in dry creek beds. Drinking water in two towns smelled rotten thanks to blooms of algae. Boat landings closed because hulls could no longer reach the water, and businesses that depend on the waterway struggled to stay open.
"It was miserable," said Larry Bunch, general manager of the Lake Wylie Marina. "We kept watching the water come down and down."
South Carolina residents and officials fear a repeat of that year, or worse, because of a decision by North Carolina regulators to let two growing suburbs of Charlotte remove up to 10 million gallons of water daily from the river.
Worried about population growth, climate change and attracting business to the area, communities and environmentalists on both sides of the state line are appealing. North Carolina legislators have proposed a bill adding restrictions to such water transfers and the South Carolina attorney general says he is preparing to sue North Carolina.
For now, Concord and Kannapolis, N.C., are allowed to draw water from the river and return treated wastewater to a river basin that is closer to their communities than the Catawba. Returning the water to its source would be too expensive, said Annette Privette, spokeswoman for the cities.
She said nothing's being taken now. "There will be a gradual buildup over time as we need it," Privette said.
The Catawba River, which winds 225 miles through the Carolinas, provides drinking water to 1.3 million people and electricity to 2.2 million, said Mary Kathryn Green, spokeswoman for Duke Energy, which owns and operates the river's reservoirs, hydrostations and power plants.
Like many of its customers, Duke Energy opposed an initial proposal for Concord and Kannapolis to remove up to 38 million gallons a day from the Catawba. But officials at Duke -- put in an awkward position since the cities are also customers -- believe the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission made a good compromise.
Others, however, do not.
"If they're pulling it out and not putting it back, that makes a huge difference," said Rock Hill Mayor Doug Echols, who is among the South Carolina officials who fear a loss of drinking water and problems attracting industry to the region if the river runs low.
Kannapolis Mayor Robert Misenheimer said critics' worries are unfounded. The cities need the extra water to keep up with growth, said Misenheimer, who also points to a North Carolina study that found the water transfer's effect will be insignificant because the cities would take less than 1 percent of the Catawba's total flow.
Catawba Riverkeeper Donna Lisenby said she doesn't trust the North Carolina study, partly because its projections rely on past weather. Environmentalists said climate change is important to take into account because it's already threatening the amount of water available now.
"We're just seeing the tip of the iceberg," said Gerrit Jobsis, director of Southeast conservation for American Rivers, a national conservation organization. "With the tremendous amount of growth we're having, we're getting more pressures on water resources."
Last month, separate appeals of the water transfer were filed by the Southern Environmental Law Center and a coalition of eight cities and seven counties along the Catawba.
South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster said he will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to take the case and wants to force North Carolina to enter an interstate compact with South Carolina over water issues. He contends the 1993 North Carolina law creating that state's approval process for water transfers violates the U.S. Constitution because one state can't directly affect another state.
Meanwhile, another water transfer plan is in the works. A proposal from Union County, N.C., to take water out of the Catawba is in the review stage, according to the North Carolina Division of Water Resources.
The transfer plans are not welcome news to paper maker Bowater Inc., which is located along the Catawba's banks in York County.
The company came close to temporarily laying off some of its 1,000 employees in 2002 because the low water flow meant Bowater couldn't discharge its wastewater into the river. The company, which needs water for paper processing, instead channeled the wastewater into holding basins that neared their 1.5 billion gallon capacity when rain finally provided relief, said Dale Herendeen, environmental manager of the plant.
"There's only so much water out there," Herendeen said. "At some point, it's going to hurt us and hurt others."
Return to the U.S. Water News' Archives page Or Return to the U.S. Water News Homepage
Editor@uswaternews.com
*Your Name:
*Your Email:
*Friend's Email:
Use a comma to separate e-mail addresses:
*Your Comments:
Hi, I thought you might like to read this article.
*Required Fields