America's Most Endangered Rivers - (Page 20) dangerous situation for North and South Carolina communities. In the midst of 21st-century progress, Southeast residents are still burdened by a 19th-century approach to water supply. North and South Carolina are not prepared to manage their water resources under current conditions, let alone deal with the new long-term consequences and effects of global warming. Most local leaders call for water use reductions only after the onset of drought. In the absence of adequate planning, communities are forced during these periods to make desperate grabs for clean water, which only serve to reinforce their wasteful habits. One recent example is the permitted transfer of 10 million gallons per day from the Catawba-Wateree River to the cities of Concord and Kannapolis, North Carolina, located in the Yadkin-Pee Dee River basin. Robbing water from the CatawbaWateree and rerouting it to a separate watershed will deprive downstream human and natural communities of a vital flow of water. Moreover, some of this water will go to support wasteful uses such as a new water park in the city of Concord. Siphoning off the Catawba-Wateree River will only lead to even lower water levels, poorer water quality, and decreased recreational access and industrial productivity. If the states continue to squander their water resources, the river will not be able to sustain the communities, fish and wildlife that depend on it. What’s At Stake The Catawba-Wateree River is the epicenter in the collision between limited water supply and unchecked development in the Southeast. Already, South Carolina and North Carolina are battling for control over more water from the Catawba-Wateree basin in the U.S. Supreme Court. If both states don’t substantially improve river resource management, the ecological, industrial and What Can Be Done Implementation of sensible water supply and efficiency policies throughout the Catawba-Wateree River basin and passage of effective state- wide water withdrawal regulations in North Carolina and South Carolina could put this high-speed train to water scarcity onto a smarter course. North Carolina and South Carolina must develop and adopt progressive state water efficiency plans that empha- recreational values of the river will be drained away. The current drought, combined with water supply mismanagement and overallocation, has dewatered thousands of acres of aquatic habitat, left muddy shorelines devoid of vegetation, and eliminated boating access in many rivers throughout the Southeast. Without adequate river flows, utility companies, mills, and manufacturing facilities that depend on the Catawba-Wateree River will founder, the region’s robust recreation industry will crumble, quality of life will diminish, and plant and wildlife populations will suffer. ©NANCY PIERCE Rapid development in the Catawba-Wateree River basin threatens to drain away the river’s ecological, industrial and recreational values. TO TA K E AC T I O N : W W W. AMERICANRIVERS.ORG/CATAWBAWATEREE ©NANCY PIERCE ©NANCY PIERCE http://www.americanrivers.org/catawbawateree
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