Cities Seek Water From Catawba
Aug. 19–A series of Catawba Valley governments, organizations and property owners are asking the state to hold off on a request by the cities of Concord and Kannapolis for water from the Catawba River.
The two rapidly growing cities have asked the state for permission to withdraw as much as 38 million gallons combined per day from the river. They say rapid growth combined with a limited water source, the Rocky River basin, will lead to severe shortages within 30 years.
But officials and others in the Catawba Valley have worries of their own. The Catawba and its tributaries are the area’s main water source. Officials say the two cities’ request doesn’t take into account how low the river might be during a drought, like the one that dried up the region before it ended in 2002. Also, they worry about having enough water to sustain development in an area that’s growing rapidly itself.
Hickory and Catawba County have sent letters detailing their concerns to the N.C. Division of Water Resources, which is in charge of reviewing the request. Burke County this month adopted a formal resolution opposing the transfer until more information becomes available.
“In years to come, water will be a very precious commodity,” said Burke County Manager Ron Lewis. “While we’re concerned about our sister counties, we feel we have an obligation to protect our resources as well.”
Water Resources is compiling public comments about the request; the period for such comments ended last week, said Tom Fransen, the division’s River Basin Management section chief. It will prepare a revised statement of environmental impact before it submits a final plan to the N.C. Environmental Management Commission, probably early next year, Fransen said. The commission will decide whether to grant the request.
An initial environmental study submitted with Concord’s and Kannapolis’ petition predicted the withdrawal wouldn’t affect the Catawba basin much. But that study didn’t consider conditions during the recent drought, Fransen said, and didn’t account for increasing sedimentation in the upper river basin — a particular concern in Lake Rhodhiss, which straddles the Burke-Catawba line.
Concord City Manager Brian Hiatt said the cities began to collect information for their request four years ago, so some of the data they used in their petition are out of date. The cities are updating their figures, Hiatt said.
Another factor is Duke Power’s negotiation with utilities, property owners, conservationists and other parties in preparation for renewing its hydroelectric license on the Catawba, probably next year. The new license would set terms for Duke’s control of the river for the next 30 to 50 years.
“It’s not just about drinking water. It’s recreation, wildlife habitats, lake levels,” said Burke County Planner Judy Francis. “Until those issues have more clarity, we felt it was a little premature” for the state to grant the two cities’ request.
A group of property owners on Lake James and Burke County environmentalists have also sent to the state their comments on the transfer, Francis said.
Hiatt said he wasn’t surprised to hear about the reactions. He knows about the threat of diminishing water reserves; his city just recently ended a two-year moratorium on water lines for new homes.
But governments and residents can handle a shortage by not wasting water and by managing their resources, he said: “We’ve been through drought, and we have a very keen understanding of how to manage lakes during a shortage.”
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