Rock Hill, S.C. — Despite drought, opposition and even U.S. Supreme Court intervention, some North Carolina officials remain intent on taking water away from the Catawba River system to allow continued growth in Kannapolis and Concord, cities outside the basin.Earlier this year, in fact, they were considering ways to weaken the state’s interbasin transfer laws to make it easier to divert the water over the objections of those who live along the Catawba.
As BASS Times has reported since 2006, conservationists believe the move is short-sighted and reckless, threatening a river that provides drinking water for 1.3 million people and electricity for thousands as it winds through the Carolinas. It also supports recreation for at least 10 million people, including bass fishing on such well-known reservoirs as Norman and Wylie.
“Let me unequivocally state that interbasin transfers only serve to deplete more water bodies during drought, thereby exacerbating and broadening drought impacts such that they impact more people and more communities,” said Donna Lisenby, who served a decade as the Catawba Riverkeeper.Earlier this year, American Rivers recognized the threat to the Catawba, and what it portends for the rest of the country, by naming it the No. 1 endangered river of 2008.
“People across America should look at what’s happening on the Catawba-Wateree as a preview of coming attractions — and this movie isn’t a comedy; it’s a horror film,” said Rebecca Wodder, president of American Rivers.
In announcing its choice of the Catawba, American Rivers added: “Without a major change in direction in public policy, the river that provides drinking water for millions of people, pumps tens of millions of dollars into local economies, and is directly responsible for thousands of jobs could be irreparably damaged, and the communities that depend on it will suffer.”The Carolinas are among the first to reach this ominous fork in the road, and the direction they choose to take will affect water policy in the Southeast for generations.”
Right now, the decision rests with the Supreme Court, which appointed a “special master” to mediate. This flashpoint in nationwide “water wars” reached the highest level when South Carolina sued, asserting that a 1991 North Carolina law allowing the transfer violates the U.S. Constitution because it prevents the states from equitably sharing the water.
“The threat is that neither state has the adequate ability to manage water withdrawals,” said Lisenby.
David Merryman, Catawba’s new Riverkeeper, added, “We need a real water policy that relies on commonsense thinking, not theft, as its main component. Thou shall not steal was one of the first lessons I learned growing up.Apparently, our leaders didn’t.”
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