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Catawba River

The Catawba River (named after the Native

American tribes that first settled on the
banks) originates in Western North Carolina
and the name of the river changes to the
Wateree River in South Carolina. The river is
approximately 220 miles (350 km) long. It
rises in the Appalachian Mountains and drains
into the Piedmont, where it has been
impounded through a series of reservoirs for
flood control and generation of A view of the Catawba River in the fall at River
hydroelectricity. The river is named after the Park in Rock Hill

Catawba tribe of Native Americans. In their

Siouan language, they identified as the
Kawahcatawbas, "the people of the river".

It rises in the Blue Ridge Mountains in western

McDowell County, North Carolina,
approximately 20 miles (30 km) east of
Asheville. It flows ENE, forming, along with the
On the Catawba River
Linville River, Lake James. It passes north of
Morganton, then southeast through Lake Hickory just north of Hickory, NC, and into the
Lake Norman reservoir. From Lake Norman it flows south, passing west of Charlotte, then
flowing through the Mountain Island Lake and Lake Wylie reservoirs, where it forms
approximately 10 miles (15 km) of the border between North Carolina and South Carolina.
The confluence of the South Fork Catawba River and Catawba River is submerged by Lake
Wylie near the NC/SC state line.

It flows into northern South Carolina, passing Rock Hill, through Fishing Creek Reservoir
near Great Falls, and into the Lake Wateree reservoir, approximately 30 miles (50 km)
northeast of Columbia. At the now-submerged confluence with Wateree Creek, it becomes
known as the Wateree River.

Contents

Dams

The Catawba has been controlled by several dams,

including the following:

North Carolina

Lake James Dam

Rhodhiss Dam

Oxford Dam

Lookout Shoals Dam

Cowans Ford Dam, creating Lake Norman Map of the Santee River watershed
showing the Catawba River.
Mountain Island Lake Dam

South Carolina

Lake Wylie Dam in India Hook

Fishing Creek Reservoir in Great Falls

Dearborn-Great Falls Dam

Cedar Creek Reservoir Dam

Lake Wateree Dam

Controversy

In 2006 the river became the center of a water use

controversy between the residents of the Catawba Map of the Catawba River in South
Carolina
watershed and Cabarrus County, North Carolina. The
cities of Concord and Kannapolis are expecting a daily shortfall of 22 million US gallons
(83,000 m3) of water a day by 2035 [1] and want to pump up to 36 million US gallons
(140,000 m3) of water daily from the Catawba River.[2] The Concord/Kannapolis Interbasin
Transfer (IBT) proposal calls for water to be permanently transferred from one river basin to
another river basin. Such a transfer is unlike the more common water usage, in which
municipalities within the Catawba basin pump water from the river and treat it for
residential use. Much of that treated water eventually returns to the Catawba River.

Though neither Concord nor Kannapolis is located in the Catawba River basin (both are
located in the Pee Dee River basin), the cities said the Catawba River is a regional resource.
Opponents of the IBT argued that towns and cities along the Catawba River basin are
growing as well, and that the cities' request is too large.

On January 10, 2007, the North Carolina state environmental panel authorized Concord and
Kannapolis to pump up to 10 million US gallons (38,000 m3) a day from the Catawba River.
This decision represented a compromise recommended by hearing officers for the
Environmental Management Commission. The mayors of Morganton and Valdese said that
they were adamantly against the transfer and that the panel's ruling was skewed and
biased.[3] Concord's city manager said the approval of the water transfer was "bittersweet",
since the panel authorized an amount much lower than was originally requested and the
action is likely to be delayed by lawsuits.

“Well, (officials from) Hickory are going to file an appeal,” said Concord
Mayor Scott Padgett, who spoke briefly with Hickory Mayor Rudy Wright
after the EMC meeting. “His major concern is changing the (interbasin
transfer) process. My appeal to him is that there should be a truce. To file
an appeal is just going to prolong something we deserve, is less than what
we asked for and is going to further hard feelings this has already created.”
[4]

The controversy ended in early 2010 when all the parties reached a settlement. It further
limits the amount of water available to Concord and Kannapolis under drought conditions.

A river at risk

Starting in the early autumn months of 2007, residents and businesses of the Catawba
basin, along with large swaths of the Southern United States, began to feel the effects of
an extreme drought. On October 15, 2007, the Morganton News Herald reported that North
Carolina Governor Mike Easley described the drought as "the worst in recorded history".[5]

On January 29, 2008, Duke Energy, the utility responsible for managing the Catawba River,
extended its estimated time frame for Stage 4 water restrictions to August. The extension
was possible because of conservation measures and the 6 inches of rain the basin
received in December. However, area leaders converged on Valdese to hear presentations
from representatives of the N.C. Rural Center, N.C. Department of Commerce, N.C.
Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the Appalachian Regional
Commission about grants and loans available to help pay for solutions to the drought.[6]

In April 2008 the environmental group American Rivers named the Catawba-Wateree River
"the most endangered river in America." [7] Reasons cited for the river's condition are the
drought, the presence of 11 hydroelectric dams, global warming, and unchecked
development along its banks, with the latter reported as the most serious threat.[8]

On June 11, 2008, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford signed legislation denoting the
Catawba as a state scenic river. The designation carries no land-use restrictions, but it
allows the state to convene an advisory group to address river-related concerns.

On June 29, 2009, the EPA announced that four of the top 44 "High Hazard Ash Ponds" in
the United States are on the Catawba River. Two ash ponds are adjacent to and discharge
into Mountain Island Lake. The EPA High Hazard list also includes ash ponds on Lake Wylie
and Lake Norman.[9]

On December 11, 2014, Duke Energy received approval from North Carolina to dump coal
ash (containing arsenic, lead, thallium and mercury, among other heavy metals) from the
Marshall Steam Station into Lake Norman in order to repair a rusted, leaking pipe at their
facility.[10] Groundwater at the Marshall Steam Station flows toward Lake Norman, and the
contaminated field abuts the lake for about 30 feet of shoreline near its largest coal ash
basin, threatening water quality in the lake.[11]

On October 3, 2015, Duke reported that a sinkhole had formed at the base of the Marshall
Steam Station dam north of Charlotte on Lake Norman. The Department of Environmental
Quality (DEQ) says Duke placed a liner in the hole and filled it with crushed stone.[12]

The Catawba River basin is one of only four areas left in the southeast with significant
populations of Hymenocallis coronaria, the Shoals spider-lily. It has one large population
left at Landsford Canal State Park.[13]

Crossings

The Catawba River is crossed by many highways over its course. (Note: this list may be
incomplete)

North Carolina

Lake James to Lake Norman

Power House Road

Watermill Glen Alpine Road

Independence Blvd in Morganton

N Green Street (N.C. 181) in Morganton

U.S. 64 in Morganton

Huffman Bridge

Castle Bridge near Rutherford College

Rhodhiss Road in Rhodhiss

U.S. 321 in Hickory

N.C. 127 near Hickory

N.C. 16 below Oxford Dam

Interstate 40

Hudson Chapel Road in Catawba

US 70 in Catawba

Buffalo Shoals Road over Lake Norman

N.C. 150 over Lake Norman

Lake Norman to the SC border

N.C. 73 bridge at Cowans Ford Dam

Rozzelle Bridge on Brookshire Blvd (N.C. 16) over Mountain Island Lake

E. Charlotte Avenue in Mount Holly

Interstate 85

Wilkinson Blvd U.S. 29 and U.S. 74 in Belmont

Buster Boyd Bridge over Lake Wylie

South Carolina

Lake Wylie to Lake Wateree

Interstate 77 between Rock Hill and Ft. Mill

Cherry Road U.S. 21 between Rock Hill and Ft. Mill

(Future) Dave Lyle Boulevard in Rock Hill

Rock Hill Highway (S.C. 5) in Catawba

Lancaster-Chester Highway (S.C. 9)

Francis Avenue in Great Falls

See also

List of North Carolina rivers

List of South Carolina rivers

References

j. ^ "Whose Water Is It?" . The News Herald. Archived from the original on 2007-05-
29. Retrieved 2008-02-22.

l. ^ "Political hot potato for region's water users" . Mooresville Tribune. Archived from
the original on 2007-07-15. Retrieved 2008-02-22.

m. ^ "Panel Opens Up Catawba River" . News Harald. Retrieved

2008-02-22.[permanent dead link]

n. ^ "Water transfer approved" . The Independent Tribune. Retrieved

2008-02-22.[permanent dead link]

o. ^ "Gov: Drought worse in recorded history" . Morganton News Herald. Retrieved

2008-02-22.[permanent dead link]

p. ^ "Small reprieve comes in drought, towns still preparing" . The Morganton News
Herald. Retrieved 2008-02-22.[permanent dead link]

q. ^ "America's 10 Most Endangered Rivers 2008" . Environment News Service.

Retrieved 2008-04-20.

r. ^ "Defending the Catawba: Biggest threat is lack of sensible land-use planning" .

Charlotte Observer/Charlotte.com. Retrieved 2008-04-20.[permanent dead link]

s. ^ "EPA Coal Ash Fact Sheet" . EPA/EPA.gov. Retrieved 2009-11-19.

jt. ^ Press, MICHAEL BIESECKER Associated. "Duke to repair leaky pipe at coal ash dump
in Catawba County" . hickoryrecord.com. Retrieved 21 April 2018.

jj. ^ [1]

jl. ^ [2]

jm. ^ Markwith, Scott H.; Scanlon, Michael J. (May 11, 2006). "Multiscale analysis of
Hymenocallis coronaria (Amaryllidaceae) genetic diversity, genetic structure, and
gene movement under the influence of unidirectional stream flow" . American
Journal of Botany. Botanical Society of America. Retrieved October 1, 2012.

External links

U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Catawba River

Last edited 7 months ago by Parkwells

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