Earlier this month, North Carolina lawmakers passed a law that changes how the state transfers water from one source to another. A committee discussed that move Tuesday.
RALEIGH -- Earlier this month, North Carolina lawmakers passed a law that changes how the state transfers water from one source to another. The new legislation follows months of debate over the water transfer from the Catawba River to Concord and Kannapolis.
Tuesday, a committee in Raleigh responsible for overseeing the state's water needs discussed the new legislation. The passing of House bill 820 means committees like the one in Raleigh will be taking a looking at how North Carolina uses its water and ways the process can be improved.
“[We’re trying] to try to see what changes in state policy we might need in terms of policies to allocate water that would meet the social needs but not overcome the sustainable capacity of our river basins,” explained John Morris, director of the North Carolina Division of Water Resources.
The issue has been a hot topic since the state approved transferring water from the Catwaba River to Concord and Kannapolis. The two cities said they needed the water to meet growth and demands; Catawba River advocates say the transfer will have a negative environmental impact.
Michelle Nowlin of the Southern Environmental Law Center is representing the Catwaba Riverkeeper in a lawsuit to reverse the transfer.
"We disagree that there is that ability or that right to engineer your way to water security,” said Nowlin. “You have to divide your water budget, figure out what your water budget is and live within that budget."
But committees will now be reviewing North Carolina's water policies to see if there is a happy medium.
Nowlin says her organization "hopes the upcoming study on the interbasin transfer process will address the issues of preservation of aquatic habitat, ecology of the area and public rights in their watersheds."
Both sides agree North Carolina has more than enough water resources to meet the needs, as long as the water is used wisely.
House bill 820 also requires more notification of a water transfer request. Cities making requests would have to advertise their plans earlier on in the process and would have to notify states upstream and downstream from the water sources involved.