2007 Drought photos

Drought Advisory # 9 - October 19, 2007

The 2007 drought is now one of the worst droughts to hit the Catawba River basin since records have been kept. It is an emerging ecological and economic disaster for the river and for the 14 counties that are located in the Catawba River basin.

Ecological Disaster

Fragile aquatic habitat has been decimated by record low water levels. The death of water dependent aquatic life (fish, clams, mussels, crayfish) occurred in the streams and creeks that were drained completely dry as a result of the drought. Other animals are dependent on these streams and creeks for food, like great blue herons, raccoons, bald eagles and kingfishers. As the creeks and streams dry up, these animals will also see their food sources diminish.

Rapidly receding lake levels stranded thousands of mussels and clams on lake shorelines where they baked to death in the sun. The NC Wildlife Resources Commission reports that it drastically reduced the fish stocking rate for trout into the upper Catawba River basin because there isn’t enough water for the fingerlings to have a high survival rate. For the lakes that are now more than 6 feet below full pond, much of the normal shoreline habitat that smaller fish use to feed and take cover from predators is no longer covered with water. They have been forced to deeper water where bigger fish live. As the lake levels continue to decline more and more of this aquatic habitat is lost and fish are forced to live in less water.

Economic Disaster

Public Utilities: Throughout the basin, public utilities that provide drinking water to the public have had to implement mandatory water conservation measures. This results in less revenue to pay for the operations and maintenance of vital public infrastructure. Abnormally dry soils are contracting. In some areas, cracks in the dry soil reach seven and eight inches deep. Unusually dry soils have resulted in broken water lines, creating increased maintenance requirements at a time when revenues are reduced due to mandatory water conservation. While this was happening, utilities had to transition some of their employees to patrol, document and issue citations to those members of the public who failed to comply with mandatory water restrictions. These scofflaws cost more money in operations than they yield in revenue collected from fines. When our 20 or more public drinking water providers across the basin tabulate the true cost of this drought on their operations, it is likely to be millions of dollars.

Recreation and Tourism: Low lake levels have caused the loss of major fishing tournaments and sailing championships. Last week, officials canceled the J80 North American National Championship series scheduled for Lake Norman on Nov 8-11. They cited low levels as the cause and rescheduled the event for Annapolis, Maryland.  Water based recreation and tourism events fill restaurants and hotels in the counties surrounding the Catawba River lakes. Boat ramp closures dramatically affect these events, often causing cancellation. This leads to thousands of dollars in lost recreation and tourism dollars for the Catawba River basin.

Water Dependent Businesses: Marinas on Catawba River lakes (especially Lake James and Lake Wylie) are suffering daily economic losses from low lake levels. Lake Wylie is so low that it is causing structural damage to major infrastructure at the Lake Wylie Marina (see attached pictures). Fishing guide services, boat dock builders and other water dependent business are also seeing impacts from the drought. These losses are hard to see. A drought is not like other natural disasters such as hurricanes and tornadoes. The public can see the immediate effect of homes and businesses blown apart by gale force winds but a drought is a gradually escalating natural disaster whose impacts are not known immediately.

The Catawba Riverkeeper Foundations extends our heart felt thanks to the news media professionals, citizens and water users in the Catawba River basin who are conserving water and educating others about the dire need to conserve more water. We ask that you keep finding ways to help save the Catawba River from this growing ecological and economic disaster. 

In the last 71 days the larger Catawba River lakes have dropped 29.2 feet, cumulatively. Many lakes are lower than they were in the drought of 2002, including Lake James, Lake Rhodhiss, Lake Lookout and Lake Wylie. Here is a look at current lake levels in the larger lakes:

Lake James       9.3 feet below full pond

Lake Rhodhiss   8.4 feet below full pond

Lake Hickory     5.5 feet below full pond

Lake Lookout     9.3 feet below full pond

Lake Norman     6.7 feet below full pond

Mtn Island         4.8 feet below full pond

Lake Wylie        7.2 feet below full pond

Lake Wateree    5.4 feet below full pond

The rain that is falling across the region today is being soaked up by bone dry, parched soils. Very little of the meager rainfall is running off and flowing into the Catawba River and its lakes. The soil is so dry it will take many inches of steady rainfall over several weeks to see any appreciable rise in lake levels.

There is an emerging problem on Lake James that will likely spread to Lake Rhodhiss and Lake Wylie soon. It is 4-wheel and off road vehicles driving on the lake beds and destroying the fragile shoreline habitat (see attached pictures).

Duke Energy reported today that it resumed an increased level of hydro-generation from the Lake James dam. This power production will lower Lake James at a rate of 2 feet per week. Lake James, Lake Rhodhiss and Lake Lookout are now approaching 10 feet below full pond. The dry lake bed area of Lake James is so large now you can see it from satellites in space. Go to Google Earth and zoom in on the Linville River arm of Lake James to see this ecological disaster area. As the lake beds emerge, 4 wheel drive thrill seekers have found ways to gain access to the lake beds. Driving across dry lake bottoms is very destructive and damaging to fragile aquatic habitat.

The Santee Cooper utility is having the same the problem with off road vehicles on Lake Marion and Lake Moultrie in SC. On October 9, 2007 the corporate communication office of Santee Cooper issued the press release pasted below. As the Catawba River lakes reach all time record lows, we are all going to be faced with new circumstances and new conditions never encountered before.

What can be done about some of the economic and ecological impacts:

Public Utilities: The Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation urges our local drinking water providers to revise water pricing rates so that more money is charged for higher levels of water use. One of the things that compounded this drought is that so many more people in the Catawba River basin are now using drinking water to irrigate grass. Water that is used outdoors and does not enter a sewer system does not return to the Catawba River. A tiered rate structure will charge the water wasters without penalizing those who use normal levels of drinking water. This tiered rate structure may also help public water providers recoup some of the financial losses suffered due to the drought this year. As the Catawba River basin continues to grow, more and more water will be withdrawn from the lakes. We must get smarter and more efficient at using water or drought impacts will be more severe next time.

Ecological: The Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation urges fisherman to give stressed aquatic resources a break during this difficult time. We encourage you to hang up your fishing pole and pick up your hammer. It may take years for the aquatic ecosystem of the Catawba River system to recover from the harm of this drought. One way you can help speed the recovery is to use the low lake levels as a rare opportunity to install fish habitat structures in the Catawba River lakes. Please forward this email to your friends who have enjoyed many pleasurable hours with friends and family fishing the Catawba River and its lakes. The river needs you to repay it for those good times especially now that it having such a hard time due to record low water levels. Please consider gathering a group of your fishing buddies together to carefully and properly install fish habitat structures of wood in what would normally be deep water. These constructed habitat structures serve fish best when they are installed in undeveloped areas of the river and its lakes. It better to put them a safe distance away from recreation areas where children might jump in the water and be injured or impaled by unseen underwater hazards. Please contact the NC Division of Wildlife Resources and the SC Department of Natural Resources for further guidance.

Thank you again for continuing to help protect and restore the Catawba River. We need to work together to preserve our neighborhood river. It is a vital link to the region’s economic and ecological future. Please feel free to tell your friends about this webpage. Perhaps it will help conservation efforts if people can see and read about the impact of the drought on our economy and our ecology. 

Oct. 9, 2007 Press Release Santee Cooper

Media Contact: Laura Varn

Corporate Communications

843-761-4133

lgvarn@santeecooper.com

Reminder: Shoreline Off Limits to Motorized Land Vehicles

on Santee Cooper Lakes

MONCKS CORNER, S.C.---Santee Cooper is reminding the public that the state-owned utility

prohibits the use of terrain vehicles, motorcycles or other motorized land vehicles below the

high-water mark on lakes Marion and Moultrie.

“The abnormally low lake levels have created an attractive shoreline for ‘four-wheeling,’

whether it be ATVs, dirt bikes, four-wheel drive vehicles or even automobiles,” said Dave

Evans, Santee Cooper’s manager of property management. “Motorized vehicles disturb soil

affecting native flora and fauna, as well as adversely impacting fish-spawning habitat.”

“We are not prohibiting people from walking along the shoreline,” Evans said.

The term “below the high-water mark” uses an elevation of 76.8 feet above sea level for Lake

Marion and 75.5 feet above sea level for Lake Moultrie. Those elevations are the “full pool”

level of each lake.

“Significantly reduced inflows into Lake Marion from the Congaree and Wateree rivers, and

from the 15,000-square mile watershed that extends into North Carolina, have resulted in levels

on both lakes not seen since the early 1950s,” said Evans. “The lakes are nearly 5 feet below the

ideal level for this time of year.”

Drought Advisory # 7  - October 5, 2007

For the first time in the history of the Catawba River, the NC Drought Management Advisory Council elevated the drought status of all counties in the basin to the state’s highest level -“D4-Exceptional Drought.” and Duke Energy declared a Stage 3 Low Inflow Protocol water shortage. The NC Drought Advisory issued on October 2 affects the following Catawba River counties: Alexander, Avery, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln, McDowell, Mecklenburg, and Union.

The NC Drought Rules recommend water use reduction goals of 20 % for all water users in all counties hit by exceptional drought conditions unless there is a regional drought response plan. A total of 55 counties across the state of NC are now at the highest level of drought classification. You can review the Drought Advisory at the following website:

http://www.ncdrought.org/ 

Lake James, the uppermost reservoir on the Catawba River is dropping at a rate of 1 foot every three days. If Duke continues the water release pattern it followed from September 29 through October 3, Lake James will drop more than 2 feet a week. Duke Energy is moving water out of Lake James, sending it downstream to the lower Catawba River lakes (Lake Rhodhiss, Lake Hickory, Lake Lookout Shoals, Lake Norman, Mountain Island Lake, Lake Wylie, Fishing Creek Lake and Lake Wateree). Lake James is now almost 10 feet below full pond.

Some areas of Lake James the size of approximately 10 football fields are now without water see photos here

Most cities and counties that withdraw water from the Catawba River have enacted mandatory water restrictions and are doing their part to conserve water even though it is costing them thousands of dollars in lost water sales revenue. However, there are still holdouts that have not enacted mandatory water conservation measures, including Marion, Lincolnton, Dallas, Newton, and Statesville. To read more about these cities, please see The Charlotte Observer news story entitled,

WHERE IT'S EASY BEING GREEN

No rain? In these towns, no problem

4 places in Catawba basin yet to restrict water use despite drought

You can view this article by going to the following web-site:

http://www.charlotte.com/109/story/297937.html

There is comment box at the end of the story where you can add your comments and thoughts about the failure of these cities to enact mandatory water conservation measures.

To those of you have been doing your part to conserve water, we heartily thank you for the sacrifices you have made. As you can see from the drought impacts at Lake James, the continued loss of water from the Catawba River is having a devastating impact on the river and on aquatic life. We need everyone to conserve water. As the NC Drought Advisory indicates, the drought is getting worse, not better.

Drought Advisory # 6 - October 3, 2007

Since August 8, 2007 the larger Catawba River lakes have dropped a total of 19.4 feet in the last 55 days. Several more boat ramps will be closed on the following lakes: James, Rhodhiss, Lookout Shoals and Wylie. Due to increased levels of hydro-generation that began 4 days ago, Lake James is dropping one foot every three days. If this new hydro-generation pattern continues and we do not get rainfall, it is probable that Lake James will drop more than 2 feet per week.  

If you have a boat docked on Lake James and there is less than 3 feet of water under the boat, we strongly recommend that you move the boat to deeper water or take the boat out of the lake and place it in dry storage. Here is a list of boat ramp closures:

Lake James:

Black Bear Access Area-all ramps will be closed.

Canal Bridge Access Area-likely to be closed by the end of the week.

Linville Access Area-all ramps closed previously.

Lake Rhodhiss:

Rhodhiss Access Area-one ramp closed.

Lake Hickory:

Bud Geitner/Rotary Park Access Area-completely closed.

Lookout Shoals:

Sharon Access Area-one ramp closed.

Lake Norman:

Blythe Landing-ramps previously closed.

Ramsey Creek Access Area-ramps previously closed.

Lake Wylie:

Buster Boyd Access Area-all ramps will be closed.

South Point Access Area-all ramps will be closed.

Ebenezer Access Area-likely to be closed by the end of the week.

Allison Creek Access Area-all ramps closed.

Copperhead Island Access Area-all ramps closed previously.

Please note, all Big Sweep, River Sweep and annual lake cleanup activities will continue as planned on Saturday, October 6, 2007. Low lake levels will enable better trash clean up along the shoreline of the Catawba River lakes. The Bi-Sate Catawba River Commission meets on Friday October 5, 2007 at 10:00 am at the Baxter Hood Center in Rock Hill, SC. There will be an open forum and discussion of the drought after lunch.

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Drought Advisory # 5 - September 27, 2007

Please be advised that we expect the Catawba River Basin to be elevated to Stage 3-Mandatory Water Restrictions within the next ten days or sooner if no significant rainfall occurs in that time period. The problem is that more water is leaving the river than entering the river. Because the Catawba system has more than 50 large users withdrawing millions of gallons of water a day – combined with hundreds of smaller water users withdrawing thousands of gallons of water – the record low flows from creeks and streams can’t keep up. Water consumption exceeds the water re-supply rate. This results in continued decline of river/lake levels. 

Collectively, the larger Catawba River lakes lost 11.8 feet of water in the last 33 days.  

Even though the previous month of mandatory Stage 2 water restrictions resulted in less total water lost from the system and slowed the rate at which the Catawba River lakes are falling, it has not been enough to entirely stop declining lake levels.  There are only two answers to solve this problem and equalize the rate of loss with the rate of re-supply. Either the re-supply rate needs to increase from creeks and streams or the amount of water being withdrawn from the river needs to be reduced further.

The only way the re-supply rate will increase is if it rains. We can’t control that, as a much higher power than humanity does.  What we can control is how much water we use. That is why the Catawba Basin will be elevated to Stage 3 mandatory drought restrictions if we don’t get significant rainfall.

Many are doing their part to conserve water. We thank each and every one of you who have stepped up to help save the river from the devastation of drought (see pictures).  In particular, we thank the many water utilities, cities, counties and towns who have enacted mandatory water conservation measures. We also thank lake front home owners who have unplugged their small water pumps and stopped irrigating grass with lake water. We are particularly pleased that the largest public drinking water utility in the basin, Charlotte Mecklenburg Utilities (CMU), became the second utility to ban lawn watering. The first utility to ban lawn watering was Lincoln County. Good job Lincoln County and CMU for demonstrating some leadership. We expect the bans on lawn irrigation to be enacted throughout the rest of the basin in the next 10 days or sooner.

Despite the good effort by many to conserve water, there are those who are not doing their part. For example, the cities of Lincolnton and Newton have not enacted any mandatory conservation measures whatsoever. For more information about these cities, see the following news story from The Charlotte Observer:

"No rain? In these towns, no problem."

Statesville made a token gesture to implement some weak voluntarily conservation efforts. Statesville is not enforcing water reduction efforts even though they have the second largest grandfathered interbasin transfer in the basin and every drop of water they use from the Catawba River is completely lost from the system and never returned. The city of Marion has also failed to enact mandatory conservation measures.

So why are some water users doing their part and others not? Because there is no law making them conserve water. Neither North nor South Carolina drought rules have adequate enforcement provisions. The Catawba Basin low inflow protocol applies only to those who signed the re-licensing agreement. Since Lincolnton and Statesville did not sign the re-licensing agreement and since the NC drought rule can’t make them conserve water, they can blithely thumb their nose at every one else who is working hard to save the river. In short, they can keep right on wasting drinking water on petunias and fescue lawns in front of big box stores and sprawling strip malls without worrying about any repercussions. The only folks at the moment who can make these scofflaws get with the program are the citizens of those cities, by calling up city officials and raising some good old fashioned democratic sand that they expect better from their home town.

The most outrageous example of willful water waste is a case involving an adult entertainment club in the upper basin (a strip club.)  Their water utility sent out notices describing mandatory water conservation measures and the activities banned by the town in order to save water. The strip club posted fliers and ads for a Saturday afternoon car wash. The town staff called and directly notified the strip club that the car wash was a prohibited activity unless they had water recycling capability. The strip club staff asked how much the fine would be and then drove to the town’s administrative offices and paid the fine in advance. Several days after paying the fine they held the car wash, gleefully flaunting the water wasted. There is no law anywhere in either state to stop willful water wasters who exhibit a complete and total disregard for preserving drinking water - none.

Public pressure and awareness of these scofflaws will make a difference. We are very close to equalizing the equation where the amount of water leaving the basin is the same or less than the amount of water entering the basin. The bottom line is that just a little higher level of conservation by more people combined with cooler fall weather and shorter days can make that happen. But we need everyone to conserve. That means thanking and rewarding those who demonstrate strong leadership by meeting or exceeding conservation goals while calling out the scofflaws and shining the light on them when they don’t do their part. If you see a water waster, don’t hesitate to report them. Better yet take their picture and send them to me, I’ll post them on the Catawba Riverkeeper wall of shame.

This is a special note to the folks up at Lake James. Three days ago, Duke Power changed their hydro generation pattern from the Lake James hydro. They are moving more water out of Lake James to try and keep the other lakes supplied with water. To see this change, please go to the following USGS gauging station website:

http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nc/nwis/uv/?site_no=0213903612&PARAmeter_cd=00065,00060

We expect Lake James to continue to be the hardest hit by the drought as it is sacrificed for the water users downstream. Lake Norman will continue to be the second biggest loser.

Here is a look at lake levels as of 3:00 pm September 27, 2007:

Lake levels (larger lakes only):

James – 7.7 feet below full pond

Rhodhiss – 5.7 feet below full pond

Hickory – 5.5 feet below full pond

Lookout Shoals – 5.8 feet below full pond

Norman – 6.5 feet below full pond

Mountain Island Lake- 5.1 feet below full pond

Wylie – 5.3 feet below full pond

Wateree – 3.4 feet below full pond

This is what the lake levels were on August 24, 2007.

Lake levels (larger lakes only):

James - 7.4 feet below full pond

Rhodhiss - 2.5 feet below full pond

Hickory - 2.8 feet below full pond

Lookout Shoals - 2.9 feet below full pond

Norman - 5.4 feet below full pond

Mountain Island Lake - 3.2 feet below full pond

Wylie- 5.4 feet below full pond

Wateree – 3.6 feet below full pond 

By comparing the amount of water lost between the dates, you can see that the lakes have lost 11.8 feet of water in the last 33 days, collectively. 

This drought is proving exactly what we told the EMC during the public comment phase of the Concord/Kannapolis Interbasin Transfer process: that the Catawba River Basin is already at capacity and struggles to meet the demands of existing users within the basin. Previously, it took a sustained four year drought from 1998-2002 to see the drought impacts we are seeing now. One of the more interesting 2007 drought facts is that the Catawba system was operating at greater than 100 % of target storage in March and April this year.  As of September 21, 2007 the system had 46.74 % of target storage. That means that in just six months (April through September), we lost more than 50 % of our target storage volume. This clearly indicates that the Catawba no longer has the capacity to withstand even short term drought conditions without triggering mandatory conservation measures.

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Drought Advisory # 4 - August 28, 2007 

On August 27^th,  the Catawba River basin was elevated to Stage 2 Mandatory Water Conservation measures. Since voluntary conservation measures were not successful in reducing water use and drought conditions continue to cause declining water levels, it was necessary to initiate mandatory conservation requirements. Water users will be fined for failure to comply with local rules. Please find a press release attached from Hickory that describes mandatory drought restrictions in their service areas. Hickory Mandatory Water Restrictions

Charlotte and Belmont also enacted mandatory water conservation measures today as well. We anticipate additional announcements of specific mandatory water conservation measures from 20 additional water users throughout the basin within the next two weeks.

Here is a current list of boat ramp closures from low water conditions:

1) Lake James

    a) Linville River Access Area

    b) Hidden Cove Access Area

2) Lake Norman

    a)       Blythe Landing

    b)       Ramsey Creek Access Area

3) Lake Wylie

    a) Allison Creek Access Area (all 4 ramps closed)

    b) Copperhead Island Access Area (all 4 ramps closed)

    c) Buster Boyd Boat Landing (3 of 4 ramps closed)

    d) South Point Access Area (1 ramp closed, others still open)

Please adhere to water conservation rules in your area. Isolated thunderstorms have not been enough to break the drought. Some tributaries in the basin continue to have extremely low water levels (see attached document to view record breaking low stream flows in August and pictures of drought conditions Catawba Tributaries Record Low Flows).

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Drought Advisory # 3 - August 24, 2007

Unfortunately, drought conditions have not improved. In fact, they are getting worse. Approximately four times more water is leaving the Catawba River basin than is flowing into it. Major tributaries that help fill up the Catawba River and its lakes established new record setting all time low levels in the last 10 days. Creeks and streams in more urban areas have completely dried up. This is having a devastating impact to aquatic life, particularly fish, mussels and benthic macroinvertebrates. Without water in creeks they cannot survive.

 In normal years, the lowest creek flows are usually recorded in September or October. The fact that we are already seeing record low flows in August before the historically driest months of September and October suggests that the worst is yet to come. Yesterday, N.C. Gov. Mike Easley elevated the drought levels across the state and urged residents to cut water consumption by 20 percent. The drought has spread to all 100 counties in North Carolina. The Governor’s letter is pasted below for your review.

In the Catawba River basin, eight boat ramps have closed and the closure of additional access areas on Lake James, Lake Norman and Lake Wylie is imminent. The NC State Parks service closed the only two swimming areas it operates in the watershed. Swimming areas on Lake James and Lake Norman closed today due to low water levels.

Despite outstanding news coverage informing residents about the seriousness of the drought, voluntary conservation measures are not working in a majority of cities and counties. Here is a brief look at water use data from a few representative utilities around the region:

Charlotte Mecklenburg Utilities:

3.815 billion gallons of water pumped in May 2006

4.250 billion gallons of water pumped in May 2007

3.926 billion gallons of water pumped in June 2006

4.238 billion gallons of water pumped in June 2007

4.109 billion gallons of water pumped in July 2006

4.250 billion gallons of water pumped in July 2007

On Monday, residents in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County used a record 169 million gallons in one day. It broke the previous record water use which was set earlier this year on May 28, 2007. Charlotte Mecklenburg Utilities holds the largest interbasin transfer certificate in the Catawba River Basin. It is permitted to remove 33 million gallons of water a day through an IBT and not return the water to the Catawba River.

Union County

Despite mandatory water use restrictions with fines up to $500, Union County used 19.5 million gallons of water on Saturday. In July, the highest level of water use in a day reached approximately 14.2 million gallons. Saturday’s water use was 27 % more than July’s hottest day. Union County has a pending application to permanently remove an additional 18 million gallons of water a day from the Catawba River through an interbasin transfer.

Morganton (as reported by the News Herald)

11 million Average gallons of water used daily in Morganton before the city asked residents to cut back
11 million Average gallons of water used daily in Morganton now
12 million Average gallons of water used daily in Morganton for several days this month

Valdese (as reported by the News Herald)

5 million Average gallons of water used daily in Valdese before the town asked residents to conserve.
5 million Average gallons of water used daily in Valdese last week
6 million Average gallons of water officials estimate Valdese will use this week

Statesville

Prior to 2006, Statesville depended on the Yadkin-Pee Dee River for its water. They routinely enacted water conservation measures during drought conditions. Under a grandfathered interbasin transfer certificate, Statesville was permitted by the state of NC to construct intake facility on Lake Lookout Shoals and remove an additional 15 million gallons of water per day from the Catawba River without returning it. Statesville has not signed on to the Catawba Basin Low Inflow Protocol despite being a major water withdrawer and the second largest interbasin transfer certificate holder in the basin. With the new interbasin transfer in place from the Catawba and no conservation requirements attached to the IBT certificate by the state NC, Statesville has not enacted any water conservation measures so far this year. Nor does it plan to. Here is a quote from the Charlotte Observer:

“Statesville, which often suffered from low water levels in the past while drawing from only the Yadkin River, also now uses a 15 million-gallon-a-day intake on Lookout Shoals Lake. While the city needed mandatory rules in recent years, water resources director Joe Hudson said it's now unlikely the city will have to impose any restrictions. "Things could change," he said. "Demand could go way up. But, hopefully we won't have to get to that point ever again."

Lincoln County

Mandatory water conservation measures with the potential to levy fines has helped Lincoln County reduce water use by 10 to 15 %. It is one of only two public utilities in the basin to see declining water use. Congratulations to the residents of Lincoln County and Lincoln County Utility Service for doing your part to conserve water.

Rock Hill (York County)

Mandatory water conservation measures imposed by Rock Hill and adopted by York County, Tega Cay, York and Carolina Water Service (River Hills) have resulted in a drop in water use of approximately 9 %. Congratulations go to both York County and Lincoln County residents for demonstrating leadership and stewardship of the Catawba River.

The bottom line is that four times more water is leaving the Catawba River than entering it. High temperatures, low rainfall and record low streamflow coupled with water users who are failing to conserve water will continue to deplete the Catawba River as we head into what has historically been the lowest inflow months of the year. Residents and water users in the Catawba River basin must start cutting back water use or things will get much worse without sustained rainfall.

Here are the current lake levels as of 4:30 pm  Friday August 24, 2007:

Lake levels (larger lakes only):

James 7.4 feet below full pond

Rhodhiss 2.5 feet below full pond

Hickory 2.8 feet below full pond

Lookout Shoals 2.9 feet below full pond

Norman 5.4 feet below full pond

Mountain Island 3.2 feet below full pond

Wylie 5.4 feet feet below full pond

Wateree 3.6 feet below full pond

Note: Lake James dropped 2.8 feet in the last 9 days making it the biggest looser in the basin for the third week in a row.

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA

OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR

For Immediate Release

Date: 8/23/2007

GOV. EASLEY ASKS ALL NORTH CAROLINIANS TO CUT WATER CONSUMPTION 20 PERCENT AS DROUGHT SPREADS TO ALL 100 COUNTIES

Directs State Agencies Across the State to Stop Non-Essential Water Use

Raleigh - Gov. Mike Easley today directed state agencies in all 100 counties throughout North Carolina to stop non-essential water use as the drought has spread statewide. In addition, the governor is asking all citizens to cut back their water consumption 20 percent since the drought is not expected to let up anytime soon.

Stream flows and groundwater levels are approaching their lowest levels in recorded history and many of our reservoirs are declining by one foot every 10 days,” said Easley. “We all must conserve if we are to, in any way, minimize the impact of the drought.”

The federal drought map released today shows the drought has spread to all 100 of the state’s counties. Exceptional drought is now in 12 counties in western North Carolina. Extreme drought has moved from the Piedmont to the coastal plain and is affecting 28 counties. Severe drought is in 44 counties and has spread to Wilmington and other southeastern communities. The remaining 16 counties are in moderate drought. The drought map can be found at www.ncdrought.org.

On average, North Carolina communities have received between 50 percent and 75 percent of the normal rainfall for this time of year. The weather forecast is calling for little chance of significant rainfall during the next week, meaning more strain on the state’s 597 public water systems. As of Thursday, 59 public water systems have imposed voluntary water restrictions and 21 have imposed mandatory water restrictions due to the drought. In total, 130 systems that serve 52 percent of the state’s population have instituted water restrictions due to drought, seasonal programs or for other reasons.

While there have been isolated, brief storms recently, weather forecasters predict no immediate relief to the drought that is drying reservoirs, devastating farm crops and livestock, and leaving homeowners with brown lawns and dying plants. Reduced water levels have forced the closing of some recreational facilities at state lakes. The lack of rain in recent months has dried out vegetation so much that the N.C. Division of Forest Resources has imposed a statewide ban on open burning and cancelled all burning permits.

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Drought Advisory # 2 - August 15, 2007 

Unfortunately drought conditions throughout the Catawba River Basin are getting worse. Lincoln County is the latest public drinking water supplier to enact mandatory water restrictions. They went to mandatory conditions on August 9, 2007 when voluntary restrictions failed to reduce water usage. 

I spoke to Nick Stegall, the Utility Director for the city of Rock Hill earlier today. Rock Hill is a regional water provider. They supply drinking water to Fort Mill, Tega Cay, River Hills and York County.  Nick said Lake Wylie’s water level is so low now that their top intake pipe is no longer covered with water. Luckily, Rock Hill has two deeper intake pipes, so the low lake level has only moderately impacted their capacity to withdraw water for public drinking water supplies.

Impacts to aquatic life, particularly the death of shoreline mussels and clams continue. We encountered two more algae blooms on Friday.  

It has been 7 days since the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation released our first basinwide drought advisory emphasizing the seriousness of drought conditions. In that advisory, we noted that Lake Norman and Lake Wylie were experiencing the most severe impacts of the drought and we expected low lake levels to spread to Lake James next. Well in the last 7 days, Lake James dropped 1.6 feet and now has lowest water level of any reservoir on the Catawba system. Lake Norman was the second biggest loser, dropping six inches in the last week.

Here are the current lake levels as of 4:30 pm  Wednesday August 15, 2007:

Lake levels (larger lakes only):

James 5.6 feet below full pond

Rhodhiss 2.8 feet below full pond

Hickory 2.8 feet below full pond

Lookout Shoals 2.9 feet below full pond

Norman 5.1 feet below full pond

Mountain Island 3.2 feet below full pond

Wylie 5.2 feet feet below full pond

Wateree 3.1 feet below full pond

What happened to cause Lake James to drop so quickly when compared to the other 11 lakes on the Catawba River system?

It is important to note that the combined impacts of extremely low stream flows, lack of rainfall and record setting high temperatures are still the biggest causes of escalating drought conditions. However, the dramatic shift in lake levels for Lake James had more to do with how Duke Energy manages the Catawba River system of lakes than it did with rainfall patterns.

The largest user of water in the Catawba River basin is Duke Energy. All 18 of the power plants it operates on the Catawba River system must have water to generate electricity. They use far more water than all the cities and counties in the basin combined (in both North and South Carolina).

Lake James is being lowered to keep the big coal and nuclear power plants on Lake Norman, Mountain Island Lake and Lake Wylie operating. As the following news report in the Charlotte Observer indicates, high water temperatures last week impacted Duke Energy’s ability to generate electricity. Additional cool water from the western North Carolina mountains passed down through the Catawba system of hydro-electric dams into the rolling red clay hills of the piedmont helps Duke continue profiting from the sale of electricity. Unfortunately, without significant rainfall, the water will continue leaving the mountains to provide water for the big cities and power plants in the piedmont.

Looking forward for the next two weeks, we expect Lake James, Lake Norman and Lake Wylie to continue dropping. Water level declines in Lake James will probably continue to increase while Lake Norman and Lake Wylie should start to stabilize somewhat. We expect the other lakes to continue fluctuating as Duke moves water through the system. Please be forewarned though, anything can happen when the weather is involved and conditions can change unexpectedly. The best thing to do is hope for sustained rainfall to break the drought.

However, if current hot, dry weather conditions persist, we expect worsening drought conditions in the watershed to trigger Stage 2 mandatory drought conditions for all major water users in the basin (Stage 2 Low Inflow Protocol or LIP). We anticipate this declaration will be made on September 1, 2007. If you are a major water user in the Catawba River Basin we strongly encourage you to follow the excellent model provided by Lincoln county and other Catawba River basin water users who have already enacted mandatory water conservation measures.

In a preliminary review of water levels recorded by the USGS gauging station below the Lake Wylie dam, it would appear that Duke may be further reducing water flows leaving the Lake Wylie dam in an attempt to hold water in the central portion of the basin where the big coal and nuclear power plants are located. To review this data, go to the following website:

http://waterdata.usgs.gov/sc/nwis/uv/?site_no=02146000

There you will see the past 7 days of water flows leaving the Lake Wylie dam. You can change the number of days of record from 7 days to 31 days. This will allow you to review water flows from the Lake Wylie dam for the last 31 days. On August 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10^th  peak flows leaving the Lake Wylie dam reached approximately 5,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) on Monday through Friday. During those same five days, regular or “base flows” fluctuated between approximately 600 cfs and 1400 cfs. This indicates that Duke was pulsing one unit on and off to provide an average flow of approximately 1100 cfs. This average daily “base flow” of approximately 1100 cfs is needed by downstream water users, especially the Lancaster/Union county drinking water plant and the Bowater paper mill in order for them to continue operating. 

The regular pattern of high 5,000 cfs week day peak flows clearly indicate when Duke Energy began flowing additional water through hydro units to sell electricity from the Lake Wylie hydro. This pattern of weekday water releases that peaked out at approximately 5,000 cubic feet per second was replicated every week for the last four weeks or more. There have been no weekend peak releases in several weeks.

The sustained pattern of weekday peak water releases changed this Monday August 13^th. For the first time in several weeks there were no week day peak yesterday or the day before. If this preliminary pattern continues, it would suggest that Duke may be cutting back on water releases from the Lake Wylie dam.

The USGS flow records illustrate a different history of releases from the Lake James dam. To see how much water Duke has been releasing from the Lake James hydro, go to the following web-site:

http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nc/nwis/uv/?site_no=0213903612&PARAmeter_cd=00065,00060

For the last 7 days, Duke has periodically operated both the hydro units at the Lake James dam, producing peak flows of approximately 2,000 cubic feet per second.

To see how much water has been leaving the Catawba River basin you can check the flow releases from the Lake Wateree dam by going to the following website:

http://waterdata.usgs.gov/sc/nwis/uv/?site_no=02148000

Unfortunately, there are no USGS gauging stations below the other Catawba River lakes. So we cannot provide you with links to review how much water has left Lake Rhodhiss, Lake Hickory, Lake Lookout Shoals, Mountain Island Lake, Fishing Creek Lake or the Great Falls complex lakes.

Pasted below please find several recent new articles about the drought. The Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation expects the drought to get worse. Please heed all requests by your local utility operators to reduce water usage. Also heed requests from Duke Energy to reduce electricity consumption since high energy usage results in more water loss from the river. The information below contains additional recommendations for conserving water and electricity. Boaters please be aware that as water levels drop, more dangerous hazards to navigation become uncovered presenting the possibility of injury and damage to watercraft. Please see recommendations posted in our first drought advisory, which follows this update.

Posted on Sun, Aug. 12, 2007

The Charlotte Observer

Obstacle to more power: Hot water

ERICA BESHEARS

Temperatures should be down a few degrees this week, but Duke Energy's struggle to provide power for the Charlotte region isn't over.

On Friday, a new problem arose when Duke had to curtail power generation at two coal-powered plants on the Catawba River, Duke spokeswoman Paige Sheehan said. The river's water temperature is too high to use for cooling.

Low lake levels already had cut the hydro generation that Duke usually taps at peak times.

Duke uses river water to cool its coal-powered steam operations. That heats the water, which then is discharged back into the waterway.

But when the water is too hot to begin with, the state won't allow Duke to add to the heat, because the resulting temperature would be too hot for wildlife and cause other environmental concerns.

The temperature at which Duke can't use the water for cooling differs by station, said Mary Kathryn Green.

Only two stations -- Riverbend Steam Station in Mount Holly and Allen Steam Station in Belmont -- have been affected so far, but other plants that do not have cooling towers are vulnerable if water temperatures climb, Sheehan said. And it's unclear how long it will take for the water to cool.

Both the heat wave and the drought have caused the water temperature problem. The drought has lowered water levels in the lakes, and smaller amounts of water heat up more quickly.

"People think that because the temperatures are down that we're OK," Sheehan said. "The drought is having a much bigger impact on us."

Duke hit its all-time peak for power usage on Wednesday. Thursday would have been another record, but the company implemented a program in which some big customers stop using Duke power. The program was continued Friday. Power customers have experienced scattered outages as demand taxed the system.

Conservation efforts by customers could help the utility meet power demand, and also allow some generators to rest, Sheehan said.

"If everybody turns off one light bulb, that makes a huge difference," Sheehan said. -- STAFF WRITER Paul Domeier contributed

-- Erica Beshears: 704-987-3670, ext. 11.

Conservation Tips

Duke Energy suggests ways residents can conserve electricity:

• Turn up the thermostat on air conditioning.

• Use fans to circulate air.

• Close blinds and curtains to keep out heat.

• If you experience a power outage during a peak demand time (midafternoon), turn off lights and appliances. That makes it easier for Duke to restart the power.

More conservation tips are available at www.duke-energy.com.

********************************************************

Posted on Sat, Aug. 11, 2007

The Charlotte Observer

Drop by drop, you can save gallons of water

KATHY VAN MULLEKOM

The next time you brush your teeth, think about turning off the faucet until you need to rinse. That twist of your wrist saves as much as 3,000 gallons of water a year.

When you finally fix the leaky spigot outside your garage, the buckets add up -- one drop a second equals 2,700 gallons a year.

Yes, the efficient 1.6-gallon-per-flush toilet in your house conserves water, but a newer 1.3-gallon model does it better -- 4,000 gallons less annually per person.

Little things in life count -- whether you are dealing with drought or worrying one will happen.

Here are some ways to slow down your water meter -- and reduce your water and sewer bills at the same time.

Outdoors

Catch AC water. Your air-conditioning unit's condensation drain yields as much as five gallons of water daily. Using plastic plumbing pipe, extend the line so it waters nearby plants or grass.Meter it. Instead of guessing at how much water you apply on the lawn, invest in an inexpensive moisture meter to gauge it. You can get meters that attach to irrigation systems.

You can also use a screwdriver as a soil probe; if it goes in easily, don't water. Plants and grass need an inch of water per week; more plants die from too much water than from lack of moisture.

Wash wheels wisely. Wash your car on the lawn and water the grass at the same time. If you wash your car on the driveway, use an adjustable hose nozzle to save as much as 100 gallons.

When you're finished with the car, use a broom or leaf blower, not the hose, to clean the driveway and sidewalk.

Plan your plants. Group trees, shrubs and perennials according to their water needs. Local garden centers can advise you about plants that tolerate drought better than others once they are established.

Use roof water. Direct downspouts to areas of the yard or plants you want to water. Use rain barrels to catch water; place nontoxic Mosquito Dunks in the barrels to kill mosquito larvae.

Kitchen, laundry

Make sure it's full. Running your washing machine and dishwasher only when they are full can save 1,000 gallons of water monthly. Buying a high-efficiency washer saves 10 to 20 gallons of water per load, depending on the brand and model.

Not down the drain. Rinse produce under the faucet, catching it in a bowl that you toss on the grass or use on plants.

Bathe the dog on the lawn or in a tub of water you can use outdoors.

Instead of filling the kitchen sink with soapy water, fill a basin that you can later pour on plants to smother bad bugs; this works especially well on roses if you use something like Ivory liquid soap.

Compost kitchen scraps instead of putting them down a disposal, which uses gallons of water.

Assign glasses. Reduce the times you have to run your dishwasher by assigning drinking glasses each day to family members. Keep cold water in the fridge so you don't have to run tap water to get it cool.

Microwave more. Cooking vegetables in the microwave requires less water than steaming them on top of the stove. If you steam vegetables on the stove, combine several together, such as potatoes, carrots and onions or broccoli, cauliflower and carrots.

Frozen stuff counts. Emptying your ice bin often is good for the fridge's working parts; thaw that ice and use it on plants or throw the cubes in the grass.

It's healthier and safer to thaw frozen foods in the fridge instead of under running water.

Bathroom

Combine chores. Brush your teeth, wash your hair and shave in the shower to conserve sink water. While waiting for shower water to warm, you can catch cool water in a bucket you use on houseplants.Change showerhead. Older showerheads use five to 10 gallons of water per minute, while water-saving versions use about 2 gallons in the same timeframe.

It's not a trashcan. Teach family members the toilet is not a place to throw trash, tissues or cigarette butts, all of which use extra water to flush and can cause plumbing problems in your septic tank or at the sewage plant.

Time showers. If members of your family linger in the shower, give them a timer to remind them to bathe and get out. Showering for five minutes or less saves up to 1,000 gallons a month.

How Do You Compare?

Nationwide, average daily water consumption is about 100 gallons per person for everything from drinking to washing dishes.

Do you have a leak? Read your water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter does not read exactly the same, you probably have a leak.

Also, listen for water trickling through the toilet long after you've flushed; that's a sure sign of a common leak.

To check for a less obvious toilet leak, add several drops of food coloring to the toilet's tank. Wait 10 minutes without flushing. If food coloring seeps into the bowl, you've got a leak.

When shopping for appliances that use water, look for products that bear the WaterSense label for the best efficiency.

Want to know more? Visit the American Water Works Association at www.awwa.org/waterwiser and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency at www.epa.gov/epahome/home.htm.

###

August 8, 2007 Drought Advisory #1

The Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation is creating this alert to emphasize the seriousness of current drought conditions in the Catawba River Basin (please see 2007 drought pictures). Rivers and lake levels drop significantly and rapidly when:

1)       rainfall is below normal;

2)       sustained drought conditions cause “base flows” in feeder streams to decline sharply;

3)       high air and water temperatures cause increased levels of water loss due to evaporation;

4)       growing population causes increased water withdrawals;

5)       interbasin transfers remove water and do not return it;

6)       water users do not fully comply with drought plans or low inflow protocols to conserve water;

7)       consumers ignore requests for voluntary water conservation.

Unfortunately, all seven of these conditions are true in the Catawba River Basin at the present time. Because humans cannot control climate conditions (rain, temperature) we must focus on the things we can influence. It is imperative for citizens and water users in the Catawba River Basin to take this drought very seriously and increase water conservation efforts.

Possible consequences of failing to conserve water based on past experience of drought conditions in the Catawba River Basin include:

1)       Water levels can drop so low that intake pipes withdrawing water for power production, drinking water and industrial processes become uncovered;

2)       Stagnant, slow moving flow leads to algae blooms that cause drinking water to taste and smell like dead fish (this happened to several cities during the last serious drought);

3)       Warm water with little flow contains less dissolved oxygen and can result in fish kills and death of other aquatic life;

4)       Boat ramps and swimming areas can close, severely limiting public recreation;

5)       Marina’s, fishing guide services, eco-tourism and other water dependent business suffer diminished capacity to operate and subsequent financial losses;

6)       Boat operators strike rocks, tree stumps and other hazards that become uncovered during low water levels creating the potential of injury and significant damage to watercraft;

7)       Boat docks become high and dry stranding boats on mud, damaging docks and boats.

Of these 7 possible consequences, we are experiencing the following conditions as of August 8, 2007:

1)       Algae blooms (see 2007 drought pictures);

2)       Boat ramp closures on Lake Wylie at Copperhead Access Area and McDowell Park (see 2007 drought pictures);

3)       Water dependent business are beginning to suffer as marina docks on Lake Wylie and Lake Norman hit the bottom and lake levels are no longer high enough to float some boats in the marina (see 2007 drought pictures);

4)       Boats moored at boat docks have been stranded on the mud;

5)       Boat damage is occurring as more hazards have been uncovered on Lake Norman and Lake Wylie.

What will happen next?

Currently Lake Wylie and Lake Norman are experiencing the most severe impact of the drought and have the lowest levels. We anticipate some of the aforementioned conditions currently being experienced on Lake Norman and Lake Wylie to spread to Lake James next. Based on our experience with droughts we have observed water levels dropping as much as 8 inches a day on Catawba River lakes. When temperatures climb above 95 degrees for several days in a row, evaporation can cause a loss of approximately one million gallons of water in a day in some of the large lakes.  If current weather patterns of very high temperatures with little or no rainfall continue, we think it is important for water users in the Catawba River Basin to recognize the possibility that sustained drought conditions could cause lakes to start dropping much more precipitously than they have so far this year.

If you own a boat docked in a low lying area of Lake James, Lake Norman or Lake Wylie, we suggest moving it to deeper water if possible or taking it off the water and placing it in dry storage until water levels start to rise again. For the remaining Catawba River lakes, we suggest you begin closely monitoring lake levels on a daily basis. Since Catawba River lakes have dropped as much as 8 inches a day in the past during sustained and long term drought conditions, you should be mindful of just how fast water levels can drop.

For those who continue to recreate and operate boats on the Catawba River lakes, please be aware that low water levels make the lakes and the river much more dangerous as more hazards to navigation are uncovered. We suggest as a precaution that you operate in boats in deep water only. If you have a depth finder on your boat, it might be a good practice to pay much closer attention to it as dropping water levels mean areas that were safe to boat in become unsafe.

Here is a look at current drought conditions in the basin as of August 8, 2007:

Rainfall in the Catawba Basin:

Currently between 5 to 10 inches below normal for the year

Upper basin-some areas are nearly 10 inches below normal for the year

Middle basin-some areas are approximately 6.6 inches below normal for the year

Lower basin- some areas are approximately 5 inches below normal for the year

Stream flow levels:

Catawba River tributaries are significantly below historic flows, some are less than 3% of normal

South Fork Catawba River:

mean flow on August 8 is normally 567 cubic feet per second (cfs) based on 52 years of data

the flow on August 8, 2007 was 88 cfs

Indian Creek

            mean flow on August 8 is normally 59 cfs based on 55 years of data

            the flow on August 8, 2007 was 5.7 cfs

Jacob Fork

            mean flow on August 8 is normally 38 cfs based on 45 years of data

            the flow on August 8, 2007 was 4.9 cfs

Johns River

mean flow on August 8 is normally 233 cfs based on 22 years of data

            the flow on August 8, 2007 was 82 cfs

Linville River

            mean flow on August 8 is normally 89 cfs based on 85 years of data

            the flow on August 8, 2007 was 30 cfs

Catawba River (McDowell County above Lake James)

            mean flow on August 8 is normally 223 cfs based on 26 years of data

            the flow on August 8, 2007 was 63 cfs

Lake levels (larger lakes only):

James 4.0 feet below full pond

Rhodhiss 3.1 feet below full pond

Hickory 2.4 feet below full pond

Lookout Shoals 3.5 feet below full pond

Norman 4.5 feet below full pond

Mountain Island 3.6 feet below full pond

Wylie 5.1 feet feet below full pond

Wateree 2.9 feet below full pond

Drought (LIP) Stage:

As of August 1, 2007 the Catawba River Basin is in Drought Stage 1 (Low Inflow protocol stage 1) necessitating all major water users that withdraw water from the Catawba River to implement voluntary water conservation measures with a goal of reducing water withdrawals by 3 to 5 %.

Here is a typical drought message being sent to consumers, this particular example is from Hickory, NC

Communities around the Catawba River Basin are asked to conserve water due to decreasing stream flows and lake levels throughout the basin. The City of Hickory in cooperation with other major water suppliers and Duke Energy, participate in a joint management effort to properly manage the water resources available within the Catawba River Basin. Over the past four years, this group within the Catawba River Basin has worked to establish the Low Inflow Protocol (LIP) as a cooperative tool for everyone to use and follow.

“Stream flow and lake level data is monitored monthly and the end of July data shows that the Catawba Basin River is now entering a Low Inflow Protocol Stage 1 (LIP 1),” said Kevin Greer, PE, City of Hickory’s Public Utilities Director. In accordance with City of Hickory Ordinance 31, Article III and the Low Inflow Protocol, the City of Hickory is declaring a Stage 1 Drought and asking customers to conserve water. “Like most of our citizens, we watch the weather very closely and the lack of rain this spring and summer have put us in a position to ask all of our water users to conserve, we would like to see water use reduced by the three to five percent,” said Hickory City Manager Mick Berry. “At this time these are voluntary measures. We will continue to monitor the situation and if conditions do not improve we will notify the public of more conservation measures they can take.”

Three water suppliers have stepped up conservation efforts by enacting mandatory drought conservation requirements, including the city of Rock Hill, Union County and Bessemer City. If drought conditions continue and consumers do not heed voluntary requests to conserve water it is possible that the other 20 or more major water users in the Catawba basin will join Rock Hill, Union County and Bessemer City by enacting mandatory water conservation, issuing fines to those who fail to comply with conservation measures.

What you can do to conserve water and lessen the escalating impacts of the drought:

1)       Vigorously oppose all pending and future interbasin transfers of water that permanently remove water from the Catawba River basin forever;

2)       Comply with specific water conservation requests and rules in your region. Here are some best practices though the drought conservation requirements in your area may be slightly different:

a.       Stop watering the grass. This is the single biggest waste of water in the region.

b.       Hand water newly planted bushes, trees and shrubs in the evening after 8:00 pm once a week with 1 inch of water only. For established landscape greenery that has been in the ground several years, don’t water them.

c.       Take shorter showers, turn off the water when brushing your teeth and/or shaving.

d.       Lake front homeowners should stop withdrawing water from the lakes to irrigate yards.

e.       If your subdivision has a water fountain or other water features that don’t support aquatic life and are not connected to cooling systems, ask them to turn it off. For example the big cascading water fountain at the entrance of the Palisades on Lake Wylie and the water fountain at the Wachovia building in downtown Charlotte are wasting enormous amounts of water due to evaporation in this heat wave. Just turn the concrete fountains off.

3)       Support brand new comprehensive water withdrawal laws being developed by the North and South Carolina General Assemblies that will better protect lake and river levels.

This drought advisory is being provided as public service by the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation. If the drought continues we will issue periodic updates and additional drought advisories at least once a month. Please see attached pictures illustrating the information presented.

If you are a news reporter covering the 2007 drought, please feel call the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation to arrange a drought tour. We can take you to the best places to secure video or photographic images of the drought to complement news coverage.

 Donna Marie Lisenby

Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation, Inc.

421 Minuet Lane, Suite #205

Charlotte, NC 28217

704-679-9494

Member of Waterkeeper Alliance, Inc.