Hundreds voice opposition to Charlotte's request for more water

Burke County residents took advantage of a meeting in their own backyard to voice their concerns about Charlotte’s request to nearly double the amount of water it siphons from the Catawba River Basin every day.

But it will likely be several years before the matter is settled.

Charlotte Water hosted a meeting at the CoMMA (City of Morganton Municipal Auditorium) Monday night to hear from the public.

Hundreds of people turned out, many of them expressing their opposition to the Queen City’s request to nearly double the amount of water it draws from the Catawba River system. 

Nearly all of those who spoke against the increase drew boisterous cheers from the crowd.

Virtually every county and municipality along the Catawba chain, including Burke County, Morganton, Valdese, and Rutherford College, has passed a resolution opposing the request. A number of elected city and county officials were on hand Monday, including Sen. Warren Daniel and Morganton Mayor Ronnie Thompson.

Charlotte Water, the largest water and wastewater utility in the Carolinas, already pulls as many as 33 million gallons per day (MGD) from the Catawba via the 2002 Interbasin Transfer Agreement (IBT). 

Citing the need to support projected future development, Charlotte wants to up that number to 63 MGD.

The state’s Environmental Management Commission (EMC) and Division of Environmental Quality (DEQ) will make the final decision, but that won’t happen any time soon: The process is in its infancy and will likely take years to resolve.

Monday’s meeting was the sixth of seven Charlotte Water is hosting as part of the procedures it must go through during the formal request process. Monday’s meeting and one held in Hickory May 8 were the only ones scheduled in this area. The utility is also seeking public input via its website.  

Comments from the meetings will be included in a comprehensive environmental impact statement (EIS) Charlotte Water must produce and present to the DEQ.

Charlotte Water Director Angela Charles and Deputy Director Ron Hargrove were joined on the CoMMA stage by DEQ planner Linwood Peele. The trio explained how IBTs work and outlined the specifics of the protracted process that will culminate with the EIS.

“We may or may not be able to answer all questions, but your feedback will be an input into our environmental impact statement,” Charles said.

Hargrove explained Mecklenburg County has a population of more than 1.1 million. According to the Charlotte Regional Alliance, the area grew by 1.6% from 2022 to 2023, making it one of the fastest-growing regions in the Carolinas.

The original IBT in 2002 was projected to meet Charlotte’s needs through 2030, but Hargrove said it may only fulfill those demands through 2028. 

He also pointed out Charlotte Water works closely with the Catawba-Wateree Drought Management Group.

Then, the group fielded comments.

A number of speakers questioned why Charlotte doesn’t take measures to limit its current explosive growth rate rather than co-opting additional natural resources like the Catawba.

“Charlotte Water has it backwards,” said James Harris of Morganton. “Growth cannot dictate the amount of the water supply. Water supply must dictate the acceptable level of growth. The amount of growth is controllable. The total water supply is not.”

Burke County native Neil Pitts recalled his childhood days fishing and duck hunting near the Huffman Bridge, and said he’s seen water levels so low people could drive across the riverbed on four-wheelers. He’s worried about the Catawba’s future.

“There’s only so much land, and there’s only so much water,” Pitts said.

He concluded with this statement: “I’ll put it in a nutshell: There’s just not enough water to oblige you.”

Julie Dickison of Morganton had similar concerns.

“Urban areas tend to be hungry for resources, and they tend to swallow them up,” Dickinson said. “There’s only so much that we can do up here to compensate for that hunger. The allocation as it stands has been quite generous, and now, the urban growth of Charlotte asks for it to be doubled.”

In the end, there were far more questions than answers. Peele emphasized the fact that because the process is just beginning, data is in short supply.

That didn’t sit well with some. Morganton’s Pete Matthews said the least officials could have done was give the audience a gut feeling about what the ultimate effects of the increase might be for those who live upstream.

“Unfortunately, I’m afraid that tonight, what you caused was concern, because they didn’t get it,” Matthews said. 

NOTE: To learn more about the transfer, visit CharlotteWaterIBT.org. Comments can be emailed to IBTProject@CharlotteNC.gov.