Catawba River
| Catawba River | ||
 Catchment area of the Santee with the course of the Catawba River |
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| Data | ||
| Water code | US : 1010097 | |
| location | North and South Carolina , USA | |
| River system | Santee River | |
| Drain over | Wateree → Santee → Atlantic | |
| source | in McDowell County in the Blue Ridge Mountains 35 ° 36 ′ 4 ″ N , 82 ° 17 ′ 6 ″ W |
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| muzzle | in Lake Wateree coordinates: 34 ° 28 ′ 1 ″ N , 80 ° 53 ′ 20 ″ W 34 ° 28 ′ 1 ″ N , 80 ° 53 ′ 20 ″ W.
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| length | 350 km | |
| Reservoirs flowed through | Lake James , Lake Norman , Mountain Island Lake , Lake Wylie , Fishing Creek Reservoir , Lake Wateree | |
| Big cities | Charlotte | |
| Small towns | Hickory , Rock Hill | |
| Communities | Morganton | |
The Catawba River is the headwaters of the Wateree River in the neighboring states of North Carolina and South Carolina in the United States . The river is about 350 kilometers long and has its source in the Appalachian Mountains , the catchment area is mainly on the Piedmont Plateau . The Catawba River is dammed into reservoirs by many dams , which are mostly used for flood protection and the generation of electricity by hydropower . The river was named after the Catawba tribe, Native American people whose name means "the people of the river" ( Kawahcatawba ) in the tribal language .
course
The source of the Catawba is in the Blue Ridge Mountains in western McDowell County , about 30 kilometers east of the city of Asheville , North Carolina. It flows east-northeast and together with the Linville River forms Lake James . The river then passes north through the community of Morganton and then turns to the southeast through the Lake Norman reservoir . From there, the Catawba flows south, past Charlotte to the west , first into Mountain Island Lake and then into Lake Wylie , where the river forms the state border between North and South Carolina for about 15 kilometers. It flows into northern South Carolina, past the town of Rock Hill , through Fishing Creek Reservoir near Great Falls and Lake Wateree Reservoir about 50 kilometers northeast of Columbia . Below Lake Wateree, the river is called the Wateree River .
Water abstraction conflict
In 2006, the river was at the center of a dispute over water abstraction between the residents of the Catawba catchment and Cabarrus County . The cities of Concord and Kannapolis expect that around 832,780 hectoliters per day will be missing for the supply of the cities in 2035 and would like to pump up to 1,362,750 hectoliters from the liter into their water supply. The Concord / Kannapolis Interbasin Transfer (IBT) proposal calls for a permanent drainage of water from one river system into the other, unlike in the usual situation in which water in the catchment area of a river is taken for the resident population and this after use and water treatment is fed back into the system.
Although neither Concord nor Kannapolis are in the Catawba River basin, they argue that the river is a regional water source and that the IBT is necessary to ensure future growth and meet the increased needs of the two cities. Opponents of the IBT object that the cities along the Catawba River basin are also growing and that the requirement is too high, as this plan would not adequately take into account the low water levels during drought.
On January 10, 2007, the North Carolina State Environmental Panel , a committee of the state's environmental protection agency, allowed the cities of Concord and Kannapolis to withdraw 247,500 hectoliters from the Catawba River. This decision was a compromise proposed by the Environmental Management Commission , a commission for environmental management. The mayors of Morganton and Valdese stated that they were strictly against this regulation and that the decision was wrong and biased. Concord's mayor said the decision was "bittersweet" as the amount of water allowed was well below what the city had initially requested and there was a high probability that it would be delayed by court orders. The town of Hickory will object, with the mayor's greatest concern being the disruption of the natural exchange of river systems.
Danger
In the early autumn of 2007, a period of drought began in many parts of the southern United States , including the Catawba River. On 15 October 2007, the reported Morganton News Herald that the drought by the Governor of North Carolina Mike Easley as the worst drought in designated since the beginning of history.
In April 2008, the Catawba-Wateree River was declared "America's Most Endangered River" by the American Rivers environmental group . Among the reasons for the poor water quality and the condition of the river, in addition to the 2007 drought, the eleven hydroelectric power plants , global warming and the uncontrolled development on the banks of the river are mentioned.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Sharon McBrayer and Ragan Robinson: Whose Water Is It? Plenty Of People Have Answers . In: The News Harald . September 28, 2006. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
- ^ Political hot potato for region's water users . In: Mooresville Tribune . Archived from the original on July 15, 2007. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
- ^ Panel Opens Up Catawba River . In: News Harald . Retrieved on February 22, 2008. ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )
- ↑ Water transfer approved . In: The Independent Tribune . Retrieved on February 22, 2008. ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )
- ↑ Gov: Drought worse in recorded history . In: Morganton News Herald . Retrieved on February 22, 2008. ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )
- ↑ America's 10 Most Endangered Rivers 2008 . In: Environment News Service . Retrieved December 29, 2010.
- ^ Defending the Catawba: Biggest threat is lack of sensitive land-use planning . In: Charlotte Observer / Charlotte.com . Retrieved on April 20, 2008. ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )
