Lake Norman Facing Pair of Messes: Rain Runoff Floods Cove, Oil Spill Found at Lake Norman

By Kirsten Valle, The Charlotte Observer, N.C.

Jan. 14–Two mishaps on Lake Norman in two weeks clouded the water with mud and contaminated acres of the lake with oil.

In the first incident, over New Year’s weekend, mud from heavy rains filled a cove near fisherman Sam “Rawhide” Newman’s home. The sediment caked and killed 20 rainbow trout and a half-dozen bream Newman kept as striper bait.

Later, a state inspector determined that a nearby Crescent Resources housing development failed to control erosion, resulting in the runoff.

Crescent faces $5,000-a-day fines if it doesn’t correct the problem at the southern Iredell County development. A company spokesman said it’s already started making repairs.

In the second incident, also in southern Iredell, the same fisherman reported an oil slick that spanned several acres of the lake Saturday morning.

County emergency authorities say the spill likely occurred several days ago and has been spreading downstream since. They haven’t determined what caused the spill or what effect it will have on fish and wildlife.

Meanwhile, county officials and Duke Energy, which owns Lake Norman, are still debating who will handle the cleanup.

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Copyright (c) 2007, The Charlotte Observer, N.C.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.

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