CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte Water held a public hearing in Rock Hill to discuss its request to pull more water from the Catawba River on Monday.
Agency officials have held several meetings in surrounding towns over the last few months that could be impacted by the city’s water intake. Monday night was their seventh and final hearing, and many Rock Hill residents and elected officials voiced concerns.
Charlotte Water is looking to nearly double the amount of water it’s allowed to transfer from the Catawba River Basin to the Rocky River Basin in east Mecklenburg County. Many surrounding residents worry the inter-basin transfer could impact their city’s access to vital resources.
Charlotte Water is allowed to transfer up to 33 million gallons a day from the Catawba River Basin to the Rocky River Basin. The agency predicts that the amount can support customers through 2028.
It’s now asking the state’s permission to pull up to an additional 30 million gallons a day to account for growth. That number could change, but it’s concerning elected officials like Congressman Ralph Norman.
"We’re probably going to be on opposite ends of the scale for this as far as support," Norman said to Charlotte Water representatives at the meeting.
Rock Hill residents want to know how the water transfer will impact them.
“We have to really look at what is gonna be the impact of all the people and the industry downstream of Lake Wylie,” one speaker said.
Charlotte Water deputy director David Czerr said the impacts on surrounding areas are currently unclear.
"We're very early in this process," Czerr said. "Those types of questions ultimately get answered during the development of our Environmental Impact Statement."
The last time Charlotte Water requested to take more water from the river, South Carolina sued North Carolina. The case went to the U.S. Supreme Court and was settled in 2010. "That settlement agreement laid out some specific actions and I would call best guidance. And we are, of course following those," Czerr added.
This latest request is once again prompting environmental groups to call for a better solution to the growing demand for water.
"Our position is that it’s not sustainable and frankly irresponsible to simply allocate more of the Catawba water to other basins," said Brandon Jones, the Catawba Riverkeeper.
The application process will take several years. The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality is responsible for accepting, modifying, or denying the request.
Charlotte Water is accepting public comments through August 30th. People can submit comments on the agency's dedicated website to the transfer request, or by emailing ibtproject@charlottenc.gov.
Contact Julia Kauffman at jkauffman@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.